AMD Radeon RX 9070 GPUs Finally Get Official Release Window — but Still No Price

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 AMD's 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 confirmed a March 2025 release date via Twitter/X.

McAfee stated that the Radeon 9000 series hardware and software are progressing well, with plans for widespread global availability. While the March launch is confirmed, crucial details like specifications and pricing remain unannounced. Industry speculation points to a competitive positioning against Nvidia's RTX 5070 and RTX 5070 Ti (February launch), suggesting similar price and performance ranges.

Interestingly, reports suggest 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 conjecture regarding AMD's strategic timing. The delay might be a calculated move to directly counter Nvidia's RTX 5070 and 5070 Ti releases, enabling a more focused competitive comparison. Another theory suggests pricing pressures from Nvidia influenced the launch postponement.

The RX 9070 series launch communication has been notably inconsistent, reflecting the scarcity of concrete information. A June 2024 report highlighted Nvidia's dominant 88% share of the discrete GPU market, leaving AMD with a mere 12%. Facing a lack of significant mid-range and high-end competition, AMD's strategic maneuvering is crucial to challenge Nvidia's market leadership.