AMD Radeon RX 9070 GPUs: Official Release Window Announced, Price Still Unknown

At CES 2025, AMD unveiled its next-generation graphics cards, the RX 9070 and RX 9070 XT, marking the arrival of the RDNA 4 architecture. Surprisingly, these cards were absent from AMD's keynote, although vendors displayed them on the show floor with obscured specifications.

David McAfee, VP & GM of Radeon Graphics and Ryzen CPUs, took to Twitter/X to announce that both the RX 9070 and RX 9070 XT are slated for release in March 2025. McAfee expressed enthusiasm, stating, "Radeon 9000 series hardware and software are looking great and we are planning to have a wide assortment of cards available globally. Can’t wait for gamers to get their hands on the cards when they go on sale in March!"

While specific details such as specifications and pricing remain undisclosed, it's anticipated that the RX 9070 and RX 9070 XT will compete directly with Nvidia's upcoming RTX 5070 and RTX 5070 Ti, which are set to launch in February. Interestingly, reports suggest that stock of the RX 9070 and RX 9070 XT has already reached retailers and is in the hands of reviewers, with eTeknix confirming receipt of review samples.

The absence of the cards from AMD's keynote and the delayed official launch have fueled speculation. Some believe AMD is strategically timing its release to directly counter Nvidia's offerings, allowing for a head-to-head comparison. There's also speculation that pricing pressures from Nvidia may have influenced AMD's decision to delay the official release of the RX 9070 lineup.

The lack of detailed information has led to a somewhat confusing launch narrative for the RX 9070 series. A report from June 2024 highlighted Nvidia's commanding 88% share of the discrete GPU market, with AMD holding just 12%. In a market where Nvidia faces no other significant competition at the mid-range or high-end, AMD's strategic moves with the RX 9070 lineup will be crucial in challenging Nvidia's dominance.