AMD has conformed its next-generation graphics chips are arriving next week, bringing 4K gaming at more affordable prices than Nvidia’s RTX 50-series GPUs.
The new AMD Radeon RX 9000 Series GPUs – built on RDNA 4 architecture – will be available to ship from March 6 with the RX 9070 starting at just $549. The RX 9070 XT will cost $599.
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These model go up against the Nvidia GeForce RTX 5070 that also costs $549 and the RTX 5070 Ti, which costs significantly more at $749. These models officially go on sale a day earlier than AMD’s on March 5.
Neither of these chips are geared to challenge the flagship Nvidia RTX 5090 or RTX 5080 chips that are taking the sector to new heights.
AMD’s pricing is a pleasant surprise to most observers considering the online scuttlebutt had suggested they would start at $100 more expensive. Instead AMD is making a more aggressive pricing stance in the way of such stiff competition.
AMD says its new chips – which sit at the top of the mid-range – can meet gamers demands at both 4K and 1440p resolutions. There’s 16GB of GDDR6 emory while “extensive improvements” include revamped ray-tracing accelerators and powerful AI accelerators.
In Cyberpunk 2077 at 4K, for example, the game runs 33% faster with ray-tracing turned on as it would with the older-gen RX 7900 GRE. That’s a significant improvement for an element of AMD’s proposition that hasn’t been held in the highest regard.
There’s also support for the fourth-generation AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution technology 4 (FSR 4), which the company confirmed during the teaser at CES 2025, bringing a significant improvements to frame rates with AI filling in the gaps. It’s supported in more than 30 games at launch.
Memory bandwidth sites at 650GB/s for both chips, while the RX 9070 XT maxes out at 64 compute units with boost clock speeds of 2,970MHz. The standard RX 9070 is fractionally less powerful across the board, as you’d expect for such a moderately cheaper price point. Both chips have been built using a 4nm TSMC manufacturing process.
“These GPUs are designed to meet the demands of today’s games, delivering enthusiast-class gaming experiences to gamers everywhere, while ready to support tomorrow’s innovations,” said AMD exec David McAfee in a press release.
“Through the power of advanced AI and Raytracing accelerators, we’re not just improving frame rates – we’re fundamentally enhancing the gaming experience. Offering incredible performance, AI-powered features, and next-gen display support at competitive price points, the Radeon RX 9000 Series delivers exceptional value for gamers looking to upgrade their systems.”
Battle lines drawn
AMD’s aggressive pricing is excellent news for gamers seeking a significant upgrade on their current set-up without breaking the bank. The true gains will play out in testing of course, but improved ray-tracing performance at 4K resolution is something gamers in the mid-range have been requesting from AMD for quite some time.
The question is, can AMD keep them on the shelves and available to gamers?
