What longevity does a card released 5 years ago, with incomplete DirectX API support, absolutely no matrix multiplication/tensor/ray acceleration functionality, buggy drivers, deficient encoding hardware, reliability issues to the extent it received literally 5 steppings while it was being manufactured, limited VRAM size from day one have? The 5700 XT is a good case of how to not make and maintain a GPU.
"Released 5 years ago"
And still viable and
in support, ergo still around.
"Incomplete DirectX API support"
Ah yes, lack of support for feature level 12_2, which includes... things it doesn't have in its design drafted in
2018. When DX12 Ultimate came out in 2020. Be real.
"No matrix multiplication/tensor/RT support"
When the competition
barely had all of that in the card's heyday? When the people that
have/are interested in a 5700XT probably won't be considering workloads like that?
"Buggy drivers"
This I'll concede, but that applies more to the card's earlier years than it does now.
"Deficient encoding hardware"
I will also concede VCN kind of sucking but that fact has not changed in comparison to NVENC/QSV at any point in the last decade or so. Didn't kneecap its sales nor sales of RX 6000 and RX 7000.
"Reliability issues requiring several revisions"
Much of what I could even dig up is solved by now or had existing workarounds
at the time, cards that are still around can be/are fixed.
"Limited VRAM size."
Lemme grip you by the ear and rattle off some models you might be familiar with. 2070. 2070 SUPER. 2080. 2080 SUPER. 3060Ti. 3070. 3070Ti. 4060. 4060Ti 8G. A580. A750. A770 8G. Released around the same time or newer, or
far newer, all hampered by the same 'lack of VRAM' you rest the blame on AMD for as if they were supposed to have some moment of divine providence to realize that The Last of Us Part 1 Remastered: Extra Shitty Port Edition (2023) will need more than 8GB. When the cards that roughly match it in performance have the same memory sizes and are still being used TODAY.
I highlighted how long the 5700XT has lasted as a card that you can slap into a PC and still use within its means, specifically in the segment that consumer Radeon targets: value-conscious gaming. Even its geriatric Polaris predecessor the RX 480/580 is still seeing use. Much of what you cite as it being a 'bad example' are issues that were either relevant only in its youth or a result of the card, shocker,
being old. Get a grip.