Monday, March 10th 2025

AMD's David McAfee Celebrates 25th Anniversary of Radeon Graphics Technology

This month, we at AMD celebrate two significant milestones in the Radeon story. First, the 25th anniversary of Radeon, a journey that began in 2000 with the ATI Radeon DDR card. Back then, 32 MB of VRAM, a 143 MHz clocks, and 30M transistors were cutting-edge tools that sparked your early adventures. Today, those specs are a nostalgic memory, dwarfed by the leaps we've made together culminating in the 24 GB of memory, multi-GHz clocks, and nearly 60B transistors of RDNA 3 cards driving the immersive worlds you now explore. But we're not stopping there. We're proud to continue that innovation journey with the RDNA 4-based Radeon RX 9070 XT and Radeon RX 9070, available starting today. This is more than a new chapter for us, it's a promise to you, the gamers who fuel our passion. We know what matters when you choose your next GPU: raw performance to conquer your favorite titles, tech that's ready for tomorrow's blockbusters, and value that respects your investment. That's precisely what RDNA 4 delivers.

Our goal with RDNA 4 wasn't to chase an elite crown few can reach. Instead, we focused on you, the heart of gaming, crafting cards that bring exceptional power to the setups most of you run. Compared to our last gen, RDNA 4 boosts raster performance for crisper, smoother visuals. Ray tracing throughput doubles, letting you soak in lifelike lighting and reflections without compromise. And with an 8x uplift in machine learning performance, we're unlocking new possibilities - like FSR 4, our latest leap in ML-based upscaling.
Integrated deeply into game engines, FSR 4 renders at 1080p and scales to 4K, delivering 3x to 4x higher frame rates with near-native quality. That means you can crank settings in your favorite games and still hit buttery-smooth FPS, all without sacrificing the details you love. We're launching with over 30 titles with FSR 4, games you're already playing, and we're on track for 75+ by year-end.

We designed the Radeon RX 9070 XT (starting at $599) and RX 9070 (starting at $549) to hit the sweet spot—each with 16 GB of GDDR6, next-level ray tracing, and awesome performance-per-dollar. These aren't just cards; they're your ticket to owning battlegrounds, from competitive esports to cinematic RPGs, without breaking the bank. Reflecting on 25 years, we're humbled by how far gaming has come—and how you've shaped it. RDNA 4 is our way of saying thank you: a GPU lineup that powers your victories, secures your future playtime, and fits your budget. Our engineers have poured their expertise into this moment, and we're thrilled to see it in your hands. Here's to the next 25 years of Radeon—and to every clutch moment, epic raid, and immersive story we'll share along the way.
Sources: AMD Community, TechPowerUp Interview
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55 Comments on AMD's David McAfee Celebrates 25th Anniversary of Radeon Graphics Technology

#2
vnl7
Ruby back please!
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#3
HOkay
"...available starting today"? Did someone forget to send this out on the actual launch day...
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#4
Ady Pop
The latest AMD 25.3.1 drivers have big problems for the RX 7900XT. Typical AMD. Unfortunately, we can't rely on AMD. Desktop artifacts and flickering screens and fans that seem to turn on randomly. Incredible. After spending a lot of money on the video card. Only problems.
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#5
freeagent
Ady PopDesktop artifacts and flickering screens
This is why I left and haven't gone back.

Thought that would have been fixed by now.. its only been like 18 years since I said goodbye.

Bummer dude.
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#6
Chrispy_
Seems like damage control to me: Prices are out of control, there's no stock anywhere near the promised price, and all the evidence points to $600 GPUs being very much a small niche of the market - not that $600 is even a real price you can find any cards at. I had an MSRP purchase complete checkout on Thursday, I fought a struggling web-server to complete the checkout of the GPU I put in my basket at 1:59pm and made it past payment. I then got an order cancellation and the stock was immediately re-listed at 15% higher price by the retailer, having been snatched from my completed transaction. Meanwhile, another basket was failing to checkout, the website constantly falling over and all stock gone by the time it started responding again.

He knows which cards sell the most.
He knows which cards dominate the Steam Hardware charts.
A few thousand cards per country is nothing when there are supposedly 1.75 billion PC gamers worldwide and a massive drought caused by production halts last year.

Where are the great performers in the $300-400 range? People need GPUs that run games made for the PS5 and XBOX, not "$600" cards selling for $800 and needing a $200 PSU. If the GPUs are too expensive to run, an overwhelming majority of buyers will just buy a PS5 or an Xbox.
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#7
_roman_
Please no doulbe post with identical - 100% same contents.

Are you sure you your card is in working order with stock settings?

Reverting the AMD windows 11 pro graphic card driver is something which I have to do every 6 months average. Nothing new.
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#8
dyonoctis
Chrispy_Seems like damage control to me: Prices are out of control, there's no stock anywhere near the promised price, and all the evidence points to $600 GPUs being very much a small niche of the market - not that $600 is even a real price you can find any cards at. I had an MSRP purchase complete checkout on Thursday, I fought a struggling web-server to complete the checkout of the GPU I put in my basket at 1:59pm and made it past payment. I then got an order cancellation and the stock was immediately re-listed at 15% higher price by the retailer, having been snatched from my completed transaction. Meanwhile, another basket was failing to checkout, the website constantly falling over and all stock gone by the time it started responding again.

He knows which cards sell the most.
He knows which cards dominate the Steam Hardware charts.
A few thousand cards per country is nothing when there are supposedly 1.75 billion PC gamers worldwide and a massive drought caused by production halts last year.

Where are the great performers in the $300-400 range? People need GPUs that run games made for the PS5 and XBOX, not "$600" cards selling for $800 and needing a $200 PSU. If the GPUs are too expensive to run, an overwhelming majority of buyers will just buy a PS5 or an Xbox.
200USD for a 700 watts PSU ? What's happening in the US ? I can get a 850w platinum for less than that in france !
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#9
QuietBob
Here's to another 25 years Radeon! :toast:

(Though given the current state of the market I doubt dedicated consumer grade GPUs will even exist then)
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#10
3x0
Ady PopThe latest AMD 25.3.1 drivers have big problems for the RX 7900XT. Typical AMD. Unfortunately, we can't rely on AMD. Desktop artifacts and flickering screens and fans that seem to turn on randomly. Incredible. After spending a lot of money on the video card. Only problems.
No problems here with 7800XT
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#11
dj-electric
Radeon brand celebrates 25 years of competitive attitude, fair prices, good availability and technology pioneering.

...

I remember the times the Radeon brand actually represented those.
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#12
Athena
dyonoctis200USD for a 700 watts PSU ? What's happening in the US ? I can get a 850w platinum for less than that in france !
lol... they just don't know how to shop

From newegg:

freeagentThis is why I left and haven't gone back.

Thought that would have been fixed by now.. its only been like 18 years since I said goodbye.

Bummer dude.
It isn't like there are no issues on Nvidia's side...

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#13
Outback Bronze
Congrats Radeon,
Going to celebrate my Radeons :)

9800 Pro, X800 Pro & XT, HD 4890 x2, HD 5870, HD 6950 x2, HD 7950 x2, R9 290 x2, R9 Fury X, RX Vega 56 x2 and RX 6800 XT.
Posted on Reply
#14
Paganstomp
Been going through my collection and benchmarking:

Radeon 7000 PCI, Radeon 9600 Pro AGP, Radeon X1300 PCIe, two Radeon HD 4850's, two Radeon HD 5670's, and waiting on the delivery of a Radeon RX 460.

Its like I got Radeon fever.

*** Will be adding a Radeon X600 Pro to the collection. It's the PCI Express sister of the 9600 Pro AGP. Found that tonight.
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#15
ShrimpBrime
Well, it's a copy paste. My apologies, it's just way easier to list this way. This is not all of them if we put in Fire Pro and a few others at the top of the list that are ATI cards before they started using the Radeon name.

:D













AMDRadeon 55028
DellRadeon 55014
ATiRadeon 98006
ATiRadeon 9800 Pro3
AMDRadeon Graphics Mobile (Barcelo, 448 Shaders)58
MSIRadeon HD 2600 XT GDDR44
ASUSRadeon HD 34502
ATiRadeon HD 34506
ATiRadeon HD 36504
ATiRadeon HD 45503
GIGABYTERadeon HD 45507
GIGABYTERadeon HD 4670 GDDR32
ATiRadeon HD 4850 GDDR31
ASUSRadeon HD 4850 GDDR34
SapphireRadeon HD 4850X26
SapphireRadeon HD 48605
XFXRadeon HD 48903
ATiRadeon HD 48902
MSIRadeon HD 48907
XFXRadeon HD 5550 (DDR2)13
SapphireRadeon HD 575017
AMDRadeon HD 57503
AMDRadeon HD 57701
AMDRadeon HD 63107
ASUSRadeon HD 6370D6
AMDRadeon HD 6550D10
SapphireRadeon HD 687034
AMDRadeon HD 687010
AMDRadeon HD 695023
PowercolorRadeon HD 69506
DellRadeon HD 747021
AMDRadeon HD 74703
AMDRadeon HD 75701
ATiRadeon HD 75704
MSIRadeon HD 7950Twin Frozr III/OC4
DellRadeon Pro WX 210031
AMDRadeon Pro WX 21009
SapphireRadeon R7 260X21
XFXRadeon R9 290X41
AMDRadeon R9 290X31
SapphireRadeon R9 39039
AMDRadeon R9 39027
SapphireRadeon R9 390Nitro Tri-X OC4
PowercolorRadeon RX 560 (1024 Shaders)28
AMDRadeon RX 560 (1024 Shaders)2
XFXRadeon RX 580XXX29
XFXRadeon RX 5801
AMDRadeon RX 58046
XFXRadeon RX 640052
AMDRadeon RX 640028
unknownRadeon RX 64004
MSIRadeon RX 6500 XT20
AMDRadeon RX 6500 XT120
XFXRadeon RX 6500 XT40
AMDRadeon RX 66008
XFXRadeon RX 660037
XFXRadeon RX 6650 XT4
AMDRadeon RX 6650 XT34
unknownRadeon RX 6650 XT14
XFXRadeon RX 6650 XTXXX2
AMDRadeon RX 670065
XFXRadeon RX 670027
PNYRadeon RX 6700 XTXLR81
XFXRadeon RX 6700 XT61
AMDRadeon RX 6700 XT55
AMDRadeon RX 680031
XFXRadeon RX 680029
AMDRadeon Vega 3 Graphics (Raven Ridge)13
ATiRadeon X1800 XT 256mb99
ATiRadeon X6002
ATiRadeon X850 XT3
ATiRadeon X850 XT PE1
ATiRage XL PCI1
ATiRage XL PCI (integrated)6

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#16
Courier 6
I still have my ATI Radeon 8500, looks almost identical to the one on the picture
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#17
ixi
So, where is 9070 xt for 600-650€?
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#18
evernessince
Congrats to AMD but their talk of not pandering to the elite is nonsense. AMD's Zen CPUs from the start were focused on enterprise and now their GPUs are too. That's about as elite as you can get given the pricing. In the consumer CPU space they utilized value to gain a foothold in the market and when they took the lead they jacked up prices. It remains to be seen whether we'll actually see that $699 launch price of the 9070 XT again. End of the day consumers are fighting over the scraps at an inflated price.
freeagentThis is why I left and haven't gone back.

Thought that would have been fixed by now.. its only been like 18 years since I said goodbye.

Bummer dude.
This is the internet, you can find someone complaining about anything. That says nothing of the voracity or scale of such claims.

If you look at the severity, scale, and quantity of issues over the last 3 generations, AMD has been much better.
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#19
redeye
remember the ati x800xt all-in-wonder?… still have the box…
not sure why I kept it, but I tend to keep the boxes…
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#20
Prime2515102
"This is more than a new chapter for us, it's a promise to you, the gamers who fuel our passion. We know what matters when you choose your next GPU: raw performance to conquer your favorite titles, tech that's ready for tomorrow's blockbusters, and value that respects your investment. That's precisely what RDNA 4 delivers."

How about a promise that we can actually buy your shit at the MSRP you promised. That's what matters to most of us. Pull that off and you'll have some loyal customers.
Posted on Reply
#21
Chrispy_
dyonoctis200USD for a 700 watts PSU ? What's happening in the US ? I can get a 850w platinum for less than that in france !
I'm not in the US but AMD said 900W minimum [correction: 900W recommended] for the 9070XT. That basically means 1000W as most manufacturers jump from 850W to 1000W in their lineup. I figured $200 was ballpark pricing in dollars for a 1000W PSU these days.

We both know that's not necessary if you get a good-quality 800W PSU, as the XT peaks at 450W transients - but your average joe is going to read "needs 900W" and buy a PSU that's over 900W

[edited]
Posted on Reply
#22
freeagent
Chrispy_but your average joe is going to read "needs 900W" and buy a PSU that's over 900W.
Running AMD hardware should make you pretty safe, maybe they are saying that for the 14niners running at polar bear frightening speeds.
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#23
Dr. Dro
Here's to some recognition to Raja Koduri's contributions to the only Radeons that were ever worth owning. The fanbase did this man one dirty over the years.
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#24
tpa-pr
Congrats Radeon and the team, thanks for knocking it out of the park with my 7900 XTX :) And, err, thanks for the consoles too I guess...?

Now if you could just claw back some marketshare and revisit the high-end with UDNA that'd be highly appreciated.
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#25
blu3dragon
Ady PopThe latest AMD 25.3.1 drivers have big problems for the RX 7900XT. Typical AMD. Unfortunately, we can't rely on AMD. Desktop artifacts and flickering screens and fans that seem to turn on randomly. Incredible. After spending a lot of money on the video card. Only problems.
7900XT here. Only installed these latest drivers yesterday, but I have not noticed any issue so far. Fan stop works perfectly on the desktop. Launched a couple of games with no issues.

Card has been solid since I got it last year and absolutely no regrets for the price I paid. Only complaint is that the backplate can get pretty toasty in my micro ATX case, and I don't have much headroom for undervolting/overclocking compared to the techpowerup reviews... that could be in part due to the higher temps in a case, or it could be that running Hogwarts Legacy for an hour is a good stress test :)
Posted on Reply
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