AMD’s delay in unveiling its RDNA 4 GPUs is a tactical move, aimed at assessing NVIDIA’s strategy with the RTX 50 series before making its own announcement. While AMD did not fully showcase RDNA 4 during its CES keynote, it released slides detailing the Radeon RX 9070 XT and RX 9070, claiming this was to give the RX 9070 series a standalone showcase. Sources from Chiphell’s forum suggest that the timing was strategic, allowing AMD to react more effectively to NVIDIA’s RTX 50 “Blackwell” presentation.
AMD delays RDNA 4 GPUs to assess NVIDIA’s strategy
The current GPU market trends favor mainstream consumers rather than high-end buyers, with AMD, Intel, and NVIDIA focusing on delivering better price-to-performance ratios in budget-oriented offerings. NVIDIA’s RTX 5070 has seen a price drop compared to previous models, while Intel’s Arc Battlemage B580 also offers competitive performance figures, intensifying competition in the mid-range segment.
New leaks regarding the upcoming flagship Radeon RX 9070 XT indicate significant performance results. According to HXL, a now-removed Chiphell thread outlined the RX 9070 XT 16GB’s performance metrics against NVIDIA’s RTX 4080 Super and RTX 4070 Ti Super in games such as Black Myth Wukong and Cyberpunk 2077 across various resolutions. However, these claims should be approached with caution as they are unverified and performance may improve with driver updates.
AMD has announced two GPUs so far: the RX 9070 XT and the RX 9070. These models are positioned to compete with NVIDIA’s RTX 5070 series, which NVIDIA suggests can match the performance of the RTX 4090. The leak provided comparative performance data in several scenarios:
Performance comparisons
In Black Myth Wukong and Cyberpunk 2077 at 1080p, 1440p, and 2160p resolutions, the following performance metrics were reported:
| Game / GPU | RTX 4070 Ti Super FPS | RTX 4080 Super FPS | RX 9070 XT (Rumored FPS) | % vs RTX 4080 Super (add salt) | % vs RTX 4070 Ti Super (add salt) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Black Myth Wukong (1080p) | 87 | 99 | 97 | 97.98% | 111.49% |
| Black Myth Wukong (2K) | 67 | 77 | 73 | 94.81% | 108.96% |
| Black Myth Wukong (4K) | 28 | 33 | 30 | 90.91% | 107.14% |
| Cyberpunk 2077 (1080p) | 87 | 101 | 85 | 84.16% | 97.70% |
| Cyberpunk 2077 (2K) | 53 | 65 | 52 | 80.00% | 98.11% |
| Cyberpunk 2077 (4K) | 26 | 32 | 26 | 81.25% | 100.00% |
Overall, across all tested games and resolutions, the RX 9070 XT reportedly performs 4% faster than the RTX 4070 Ti and 12% slower than the RTX 4080 Super. Excluding the Cyberpunk 2077 performance data favors the RX 9070 XT, placing it 9.2% ahead of the 4070 Ti Super and just 5.5% short of the RTX 4080 Super, based on the leak.
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The RX 9070 XT is expected to be priced between $500 and $600, aligning it as a competitor to the RTX 5070. Improved drivers may allow the RX 9070 XT to enhance its performance in non-ray-traced titles, though this remains uncertain until AMD releases further official information or reviews of the RDNA 4 graphics cards.
AMD claims the RX 9070 series will “change everything” in the GPU market, with early leaks indicating strong performance for the RDNA 4 SKUs. The RX 9070 XT has allegedly outperformed NVIDIA’s RTX 4080 Super in initial benchmarks. The RX 9070 series has reportedly been shipped to retailers, ready for consumer sales; however, AMD has opted to delay its market launch for the time being. Preorders for the RX 9070 series are expected to begin on January 23.
Featured image credit: Timothy Dykes/Unsplash
