AMD's RX 9070 and RX 9070 XT: A March 2025 Launch, Amidst Speculation and Market Dynamics
AMD unveiled its next-generation graphics cards, the RX 9070 and RX 9070 XT, at CES 2025. However, their absence from the AMD keynote presentation, despite vendor displays on the show floor (with redacted specs), fueled intrigue. David McAfee, VP & GM of Radeon Graphics and Ryzen CPUs, subsequently announced a March 2025 release date via Twitter/X.
McAfee stated that the Radeon 9000 series hardware and software are performing well, with plans for global distribution. While the March launch is confirmed, crucial details like specifications and pricing remain undisclosed. Industry speculation suggests the cards will compete directly with Nvidia's RTX 5070 and RTX 5070 Ti (February launch), occupying similar price and performance tiers.
Adding to the mystery, reports indicate that RX 9070 and RX 9070 XT units have already reached retailers and reviewers, with eTeknix confirming receipt of review samples. This pre-release distribution has sparked speculation about AMD's strategic motives. Theories range from a delayed launch to counter Nvidia's RTX 5070/5070 Ti, allowing for direct comparison, to pricing pressures from Nvidia forcing a postponement.
The situation highlights the current market landscape. A June 2024 report showed Nvidia commanding a dominant 88% of the discrete GPU market, leaving AMD with a mere 12%. Facing this significant challenge, AMD's strategic maneuvering with the RX 9070 series is critical for gaining traction in the mid-range and high-end consumer graphics card market. The lack of concrete information surrounding the launch has resulted in a confusing and somewhat disorganized rollout.
