- AMD’s Frank Azor was interviewed by a Spanish YouTuber about RDNA 4
- The exec instructed us that the RX 9070 might be a ‘very aggressive product’
- Pricing was additionally talked about, in a imprecise means, and a few players are taking it as a nasty signal – however that’s leaping the GPU gun
AMD has given us some clues as to the value factors RDNA 4 graphics playing cards will land at, albeit some very imprecise hints, courtesy of one in every of Crew Crimson’s execs – and an excellent deal extra fascinating information on the next-gen GPUs moreover.
All this comes from Frank Azor, AMD’s head of client and gaming advertising and marketing, who has been busy this week, firing some weighty flak at Intel’s Arrow Lake within the CPU world, after which sharing these contemporary GPU particulars in one other interview.
This chat was with Michael Quesada, a Spanish YouTuber who has a PC gaming channel. We should always observe that the dialog is in Spanish, and so the quotes we have now right here (courtesy of VideoCardz) are a translation (made with assist from Spanish tech website El Chapuzas Informatico).
Quesada kicked off by questioning Azor on the flimsy RDNA 4 announcement at CES 2025, which offered very scant particulars, moreover the names and existence of the RX 9070 and 9070 XT – why was this so mild on data?
Azor repeated the assertion already made by AMD that there merely wasn’t time within the 45-minute CES 2025 keynote to slot in RDNA 4 and correctly do it justice.
The advertising and marketing chief instructed us: “What are we saying right here? With the bulletins of RDNA 2 and RDNA 3, we had devoted occasions to current the structure and efficiency enhancements. We will’t cowl that in 5 minutes. If we had, everybody can be indignant with us for not giving the brand new graphics playing cards the eye they deserve.
“That’s why we determined to order the announcement of the brand new graphics playing cards for a separate occasion the place we may give them correct focus.”
Join breaking information, critiques, opinion, prime tech offers, and extra.
Azor additionally poured chilly water on any concept that the next-gen Radeon graphics playing cards is likely to be delayed (as some theorized as to why AMD saved its 9070 revelations very naked).
Every little thing stays on monitor, we’re assured, and right here’s the place Azor made a really fascinating assertion. The interpretation on this case is direct from YouTube (and what I may make of it), so take this with a big dollop of warning, however the AMD exec seems to confess that the opposite purpose Crew Crimson didn’t reveal specs and pricing for the RX 9070 is that the agency wished to take a look at what Nvidia was saying and react to that.
In different phrases, AMD wanted to make sure that RDNA 4 is aggressive with what Nvidia was doing with RTX 5000, a concept I put ahead earlier this week. (Not simply me in fact – it’s an apparent sufficient thought, actually, however Azor is, translation wobbles apart, saying this was certainly what AMD was as much as).
Probably the most fascinating a part of the interview, although, is the clues about pricing I discussed on the outset, which cropped up later.
Azor noticed: “We’re going to deliver a really aggressive product [with RDNA 4]. Everybody will profit from this launch. Will probably be well worth the wait.
“The Radeon RX 7800 XT and RX 7900 GRE supplied aggressive pricing for his or her efficiency. The market responded effectively, particularly in a panorama the place costs are consistently rising.”
“AMD stays targeted on delivering worth for cash. Once we announce RDNA 4, we’ll introduce a robust graphics card – not a $300 card, but additionally not a $1,000 card.”
Evaluation: Cautious with that pitchfork, Eugene
There’s some refreshing plain talking right here, then, from Azor, concerning why AMD’s reveal was tissue-thin for particulars on the RX 9070 fashions, and the dearth of any pricing. It was to raised pitch RDNA 4 to be aggressive with what Nvidia has cooked up with the RTX 5000 collection.
The a part of the interview regarding RDNA 4 pricing has predictably acquired each discussion board and social media outlet buzzing. Does this imply AMD is considering a $650 price ticket for the RX 9070 XT, some people are asking – as that’s the common of the 2 talked about high and low costs (a complete $1,300, divided by two).
In fact, it’s by no means going to be so simple as that. However regardless of the RX 9070 XT and its vanilla sibling find yourself costing, AMD goes to make the value to efficiency ratio get up and compete with Nvidia’s RTX 5070 within the mid-range.
Merely given AMD’s chosen title change – to the RX 9070, versus the RTX 5070 – the pricing has to make sense when it comes to that showdown. The MSRPs might be “very aggressive” as Azor places it, based mostly on the relative efficiency offered by RDNA 4 – and as we don’t understand how peppy the RX 9070 XT might be but, attempting to work out pricing averages doesn’t make any sense. Neither does working all the way down to cellars, on the lookout for pitchforks and torches, whereas muttering a few $650 Radeon flagship being a rip-off based mostly on previous efficiency rumors for Navi 48.
Let’s not interact with that type of nonsense. The primary level to give attention to right here shouldn’t be the greenback quantities Azor selected to say – and the exec used such an enormous unfold, in fact, to make them type of meaningless – however what he stated in regards to the RX 9070 GPUs being very aggressive with Nvidia. And that these next-gen choices will match the RX 7900 GRE for value/efficiency, that is the opposite key level to house in on. That’s a wonderful worth graphics card and one that is still prime of our checklist of finest GPUs, in reality, the place it has sat for a while.
AMD may effectively be ready to check the RTX 5070 and 5070 Ti itself earlier than finalizing pricing for RDNA 4 right here. If I had to name a most probably value level, the not too long ago aired rumor of $479, or across the $500 mark, appears extra probably than something greater than the RTX 5070’s MSRP ($549). However once more, no matter it seems to be, that value must be considered by the lens of the cardboard’s efficiency.
Roll on that incoming full RX 9070 launch occasion, then, so we are able to lastly discover out the place value and efficiency will shake out. The rumor mill believes that an announcement is probably going coming in simply a few weeks (RDNA 4 pre-orders would possibly kick off on January 23 based mostly on one retailer leak). If true, which means the RX 9070 variants might be on sale on the finish of January, forward of the RTX 5070 fashions which aren’t out till February.
You may also like…
- Nonetheless anxious RTX 5000 GPUs don’t have sufficient VRAM? Nvidia’s secret weapon is highly effective AI texture compression, and it’s calmed a few of my fears
- AMD vs Nvidia: who’s the graphics card champion?
- High gaming PCs: nice rigs for critical PC gaming