- AMD’s Frank Azor was interviewed by a Spanish YouTuber about RDNA 4
- The exec instructed us that the RX 9070 will probably be a ‘very aggressive product’
- Pricing was additionally talked about, in a obscure method, and a few avid gamers are taking it as a foul 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 obscure hints, courtesy of considered one of Crew Crimson’s execs – and a very good deal extra attention-grabbing information on the next-gen GPUs apart from.
All this comes from Frank Azor, AMD’s head of shopper 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 must always be aware that the dialog is in Spanish, and so the quotes we’ve got right here (courtesy of VideoCardz) are a translation (made with assist from Spanish tech web site El Chapuzas Informatico).
Quesada kicked off by questioning Azor on the flimsy RDNA 4 announcement at CES 2025, which supplied very scant particulars, apart from the names and existence of the RX 9070 and 9070 XT – why was this so mild on info?
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 asserting 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 offended 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.”
Azor additionally poured chilly water on any concept that the next-gen Radeon graphics playing cards could be delayed (as some theorized as to why AMD saved its 9070 revelations very naked).
Every part stays on monitor, we’re assured, and right here’s the place Azor made a really attention-grabbing 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 have a look at what Nvidia was asserting 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 principle 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 attention-grabbing a part of the interview, although, is the clues about pricing I discussed on the outset, which cropped up later.
RelatedPosts
Azor noticed: “We’re going to carry a really aggressive product [with RDNA 4]. Everybody will profit from this launch. It will likely be definitely worth the wait.
“The Radeon RX 7800 XT and RX 7900 GRE supplied aggressive pricing for his or her efficiency. The market responded properly, 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 strong graphics card – not a $300 card, but in addition not a $1,000 card.”
Evaluation: Cautious with that pitchfork, Eugene
There’s some refreshing plain talking right here, then, from Azor, relating to 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 sequence.
The a part of the interview referring to RDNA 4 pricing has predictably received 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 typical 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 by way of that showdown. The MSRPs will probably be “very aggressive” as Azor places it, primarily based on the relative efficiency supplied by RDNA 4 – and as we don’t know the way peppy the RX 9070 XT will probably be but, attempting to work out pricing averages doesn’t make any sense. Neither does operating all the way down to cellars, searching for pitchforks and torches, whereas muttering a few $650 Radeon flagship being a rip-off primarily based on previous efficiency rumors for Navi 48.
Let’s not have interaction with that form of nonsense. The principle level to give attention to right here is just not the greenback quantities Azor selected to say – and the exec used such an enormous unfold, in fact, to make them form of meaningless – however what he mentioned 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 worth/efficiency, that is the opposite key level to dwelling in on. That’s an glorious worth graphics card and one that is still high of our listing of greatest GPUs, in actual fact, the place it has sat for a while.
AMD may properly 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 almost certainly worth level, the not too long ago aired rumor of $479, or across the $500 mark, appears extra probably than something larger than the RTX 5070’s MSRP ($549). However once more, no matter it seems to be, that worth must be considered via the lens of the cardboard’s efficiency.
Roll on that incoming full RX 9070 launch occasion, then, so we will lastly discover out the place worth 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 may kick off on January 23 primarily based on one retailer leak). If true, which means the RX 9070 variants may very well be on sale on the finish of January, forward of the RTX 5070 fashions which aren’t out till February.
