AMD just made its Radeon RX 9070 launch plans official, as CEO Lisa Su confirmed the next-gen graphics cards will go on sale in March. That's sure to please PC players waiting to hear more about the GPU, and if the red team plays its hand right, I think it could end up putting a lot of pressure on the RTX 5070.
The AMD Radeon RX 9070 series was originally supposed to feature at the company's CES 2025 event, serving as its next best graphics card contender. In the end it was a no-show, but Su says the GPU will arrive in March to bring "high-quality 4K gaming to mainstream players." (via Videocardz) The card will apparently also target the "highest volume portion of the enthusiast gaming market," which is a fancy way of saying it'll be the GPU that'll appeal to most players.
Su's Radeon RX 9070 series confirmation might sound like a boilerplate response, but it does paint a picture of AMD's GPU plans. The fact there's so much emphasis on the mainstream market in the statement sounds like a dig at Nvidia since the cheapest green team model right now is the $1,000 GeForce RTX 5080. But the part I'd focus on is the 4K comments, as that leads me to believe we'll have a a great value trouble maker on our hands.
Should you wait for the AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT?
If you've got less than $600 to spend on a next-gen GPU this spring, you'll likely be choosing between the AMD Radeon RX 9070 and finding out where to buy the RTX 5070. Nvidia has already boasted that its midrange model will pull off GeForce RTX 4090 levels of performance using new DLSS 4 tricks, so the red team's contender is in for a rough fight.
That said, AMD has a bit of a opportunity here. While it's too late to change Radeon RX 9070 series specs, it can ensure it launches with an ultra aggressive MSRP. I'd previously heard rumblings that the non-XT and XT cards could end up costing an upsetting $749 and $749 respectively, but the company's marketing boss Frank Azos thankfully stepped in to say that was never the plan.
Ideally, the RTX 9070 will end up matching the RTX 5070's $549 MSRP while providing better native performance. Naturally, RDNA 4 GPUs will also come armed with FidelityFX Super Resolution 4 (FSR 4) to boost fps further using upscaling and frame generation. However, since some players are starting to get disgruntled about artificial performance enhancements, pulling off higher frame rates without assistance could help AMD dominate the midrange scene.
Let's be real, most of you out there will be looking to spend under $600 on a graphics card. Yes, those of you who buy an RTX 5090 will end up with visuals that'll probably put the PS6 to shame, but $2,000 is a price reserved for ultra enthusiasts and players with an unusually high disposable cash flow. By catering to ever day gaming PC builds first this generation, AMD could end up cooking something that's affordable and piles the heat on other mid-range cards.
I do think the RTX 5070 is going to hit the right mid-range notes, and that could be a huge issue for the RX 9070. I'll be looking to benchmark both in the month ahead to see which mid-ranger offers up the best value 4K experience, especially with AI upscaling switched off. I'm certainly not in the camp that thinks tools like DLSS 4 and FSR are cheating.
But, if AMD's card can natively outpace the 5070 in demanding games like Cyberpunk 2077 with 4K Ultra settings enabled, that could help it become the people's GPU. After all, hitting those sorts of specs used be reserved for pricey models, and not having to rely on games being compatible with AI features to hit higher frame rates makes playing at UHD resolutions more approachable.
Looking for more components? Swing by the best gaming CPU and best RAM for gaming for rig upgrades. Alternatively, here's where to buy the RTX 5080 if you're looking for a premium GPU
