Thursday, January 23rd 2025
AMD is Taking Time with Radeon RX 9000 to Optimize Software and FSR 4
When AMD announced its upcoming Radeon RX 9000 series of GPUs based on RDNA 4 IP, we expected the general availability to follow soon after the CES announcement. However, it turns out that AMD has scheduled its Radeon RX 9000 series availability for March, as the company is allegedly optimizing the software stack and its FidelityFX Super Resolution 4 (FSR 4) for a butter smooth user experience. In a response on X to Hardware Unboxed, AMD's David McAfee shared, "I really appreciate the excitement for RDNA 4. We are focused on ensuring we deliver a great set of products with Radeon 9000 series. We are taking a little extra time to optimize the software stack for maximum performance and enable more FSR 4 titles. We also have a wide range of partners launching Radeon 9000 series cards, and while some have started building initial inventory at retailers, you should expect many more partner cards available at launch."
AMD is taking its RDNA 4 launch more cautiously than before, as it now faces a significant problem with NVIDIA and its waste portfolio of software optimization and AI-enhanced visualization tools. The FSR 4 introduces a new machine learning (ML) based upscaling component to handle Super Resolution. This will be paired with Frame Generation and an updated Anti-Lag 2 to make up the FSR 4 feature set. Optimizing this is the number one priority, and AMD plans to get more games on FSR 4 so gamers experience out-of-the-box support.
Source:
David McAfee
AMD is taking its RDNA 4 launch more cautiously than before, as it now faces a significant problem with NVIDIA and its waste portfolio of software optimization and AI-enhanced visualization tools. The FSR 4 introduces a new machine learning (ML) based upscaling component to handle Super Resolution. This will be paired with Frame Generation and an updated Anti-Lag 2 to make up the FSR 4 feature set. Optimizing this is the number one priority, and AMD plans to get more games on FSR 4 so gamers experience out-of-the-box support.
185 Comments on AMD is Taking Time with Radeon RX 9000 to Optimize Software and FSR 4
It seems like even if the RX 9070 XT came out with RX 7900 XT performance and a 599 USD price tag, besides the internet niche of hardcore uses who carried team red since about 2014, not much is going to change in market perception.
Store owner friends are already telling me their avg customer is willing to pay 20% extra for an NVIDIA product even if of equal or slightly slower performance metrics.
This is not good.
If you don't believe me, try naming a single original graphics feature that AMD or Intel has released in the last half-decade. I'll bet you can't, and that's because the only features those companies have released are copies of what NVIDIA pioneered.
They also came out with a really cool pixel-graphics scaling technology for emulated and retro inspired games.RDNA4 is built on the premise of enhance FSR features and RayTracing, nearly solely. "Scared" might not be the best word here. "Worried of being left entirely behind on popular features" might be the correct description behind RDNA4's entire design philosophy at this point. The usefulness of FrameGen and multi-frameGen can be argued, but its effect on the market really cannot be.
When you are able to cram in a large basketball court with thousands of people, while thousands wait outside hoping to get in just for a CEO to announce a few graphics cards, you get to understand the tremendous market effect and stronghold NVIDIA and its features have on this market.
Features? AMD basically created half of the rendering techniques used today, as well as kick-starting the creation of low-level APIs, in addition to developing HBM that Nvidia uses so happily. Nvidia has always tried to control the market with proprietary technologies, that's all they've ever done, just look back.
The AMD guy clearly writes:So if what he writes is taken at face value the alternative is that they were going to release half-assed products in the first place :D
Panic, damage control, lost their shit when they saw the 5070 pricing, and the AI claims from Nvidia.
Downplaying the significance of all of these for the purpose of memes is unintentionally collaterally downplaying FSR3 and FSR4's features to the very same degree. This is stuff AMD cares about equally as much.
As it won't be to nvidia 5000 series as there will be no stock and what stock there is will be heavily cost inflated....I seriously expect to see $1000 5070....when there released....
That 10% will be like me and just wait....if they have any sense.
Why am I getting a sponsored post on Reddit that says I can 'play right now' with the RX 9000 series when the launch is planned for March?
Amd/comments/1i7ytgs:roll::D:roll:
With that in mind I am thinking along the lines of something to tie me over for 2 years or so, to me the Nvidia 5070 Ti is the best bang for buck from Nvidia but I can see the 9070 XT being a very good bang for buck offering so I'll wait.
(For the record, I do need something to tie me over because I very recently completed a new build which is still missing a GPU, or rather it's missing a "proper" GPU, it's currently running on a 9800X3D and a rather silly RTX 4060)
This serves many cases.
First, there is true merit in having new Radeon cards that promise "We also have framegen and nice quality AI upscaler" for any potential buyers that might take a leap of faith with AMD after only using NVIDIA GPUs in recent years. After all, according to sales statistics, NVIDIA's existing userbase is so large, that its just about nearly every PC gamer.
Secondly, why not "be convinced" if reviews in all mediums can actually convince them that the new set of features is of much nicer quality than before? Even recent coverages of FSR4 left users in a much better state regarding AMD's future of trying to compete against DLSS. If this stuff is good, and useful - it will drive sales from all parts of the market. AMD understands this, because otherwise FSR4 and RDNA4's "raster regression but feature advancement" product marketing strategy wouldn't exist.
Totally unnecessary move. They might as well release cards now and make several iterations of driver updates later to extend FSR4 compatibility.
In no way this non-optimal drivers state would be such problem as when Intel Arc's were released, I mean Intel's GPUs had extreme issues (could not even launch some games).
Retailers will be seriously pissed. I must say I'm disappointed, too. This will backfire badly on them. Many gamers don't give a f* about FSR (including me).
Sometimes when I think AMD finally takes a good and wise decision, not short after I'm proved to be totally wrong.
Dear AMD, your marketing department sucks on all counts, let's just fire them already and redirect money from there to R&D.
God I'm disappointed. I really need new GPU so I can send my current extreme coil whiny P'o'S 7800XT to RMA ASAP, as ASRock recommended, and get refund or new piece to sell.
"Nvidia upscaling good"
"AMD upscaling good"
Who do you think people are going to pick ?