AMD's upcoming Radeon RX 9070 series graphics cards have hit an unexpected roadblock, according to recent reports from PC Games Hardware. Despite physical units already reaching select retailers, the launch appears to be delayed due to ongoing pricing negotiations. Industry insider and forum moderator "pokerclock," known for accurate predictions about NVIDIA's GeForce RTX 50 series, reveals that AMD's initial pricing strategy has created tension with retail partners. While boxes bearing the RX 9070 branding have been spotted in retail channels, disagreements over costs have prevented an official release. The core issue stems from AMD's aggressive pricing approach for both the RX 9070 and RX 9070 XT models. Retailers have pushed back against what they consider excessive wholesale costs, forcing AMD to reconsider its strategy.

The company now faces the complex task of potentially reducing prices while compensating retailers who have already purchased inventory at higher rates. Sources suggest AMD may offer marketing funds or cashback incentives to bridge the price gap, though negotiations have reportedly stalled. For example, we recently reported on the AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT AIB model costing around $549. However, NVIDIA has announced its GeForce RTX 5070 at the same $549 price point, with potentially equal or higher raster, ray tracing, and AI capabilities across the board. For AMD to make the value case, the company would need to undercut NVIDIA's pricing. Until that is resolved, retailers aren't allowed to place RDNA 4 GPUs in general sale yet.

PowerColor started its online marketing campaign for new Reaper graphics card family earlier this week—a rendered scythe graphic was posted on social media along with this cryptic message: "The Reaper has arrived. Everything is under your control. Will you be the Reaper or the one reaped?" The Taiwanese graphics cards company has already unveiled its opening salvo of new RDNA 4-based card designs—on the internet and in real life. For example, PowerColor's Radeon RX 9070 XT Reaper model was on display at CES 2025—where TechPowerUp spent a couple of minutes with an SFF-form-factor-friendly demonstration sample. Since then, more photo evidence has been posted on the AMD subreddit—a UK retailer appears to have units in-stock at their warehouse.

Team Red is seemingly operating in silent mode—they have not revealed concrete details about the upcoming launch of Radeon RX 9070 XT and Radeon RX 9070 (non-XT) GPUs. Preliminary specification leaks and photos of boxed retail units have turned up this week—with yesterday's Reddit post indicating that Scan UK has received a big cardboard box containing PowerColor Radeon RX 9070 Reaper cards. Industry watchdogs reckon that AMD is still forming a release strategy—with board partners and retail/e-tail outlets waiting on and seemingly ready to receive new or finalized instructions.

To be honest, it is rather tiresome to look for mini PCs with adequately powerful graphics. Of course, AMD's Strix Halo is all set to change that narrative with the help of its powerful integrated graphics that rivals discrete cards, but those stuck with last-gen systems have no option but to opt for an eGPU. Thankfully, the options are plenty on the market, and prominent mini PC brand GMK has now arrived with its own solution as well.

Dubbed the GMK AD-GP1, the eGPU sports the decently powerful AMD Radeon RX 7600M XT graphics card with a measly 8 GB of GDDR6 memory. While that would have been enough 4 or 5 years ago, 8 GB of VRAM is hardly sufficient for modern titles, especially at higher resolutions. Making matters worse, the GMK AD-GP1 does not feature a replaceable GPU, which means that its buyers will be stuck with the RX 7600M XT that its ships with. That said, the system is undeniably rather compact at 16.3 x 11.0 x 3.9 cm, and sports a visually appealing design.

PowerColor has updated its website with a Radeon RX 9070 XT Red Devil product page—this is the first example of an RX 9000 series model being officially listed alongside their existing selection of (exclusively) AMD GPU-based graphics cards. The Taiwanese brand has not published any technical specifications—Team Red RDNA 4 NDAs are likely still in effect—but a pleasing number of Radeon RX 9070 XT Red Devil promotional images have been uploaded. A limited edition package (with alleged bundled extras) seems to be in the pipeline—VideoCardz has provided visual evidence of a fancy container (see below).

Teaser images appeared online at the start of this year—close-ups of glowing signature red parts were accompanied by an ominous message: "every edge shines like a gem. Every second burns like fire. If power was in your hands, how would you use it?" Days later, TechPowerUp inspected a fully unveiled Red Devil demonstration sample at CES 2025—new Hellhound and Reaper designs were also within reach. PowerColor's freshly uploaded images reveal one major difference—VideoCardz adeptly points out the presence of two 8-pin power connectors on the promos, while the CES example possessed three physical inputs. They theorize that renders of PowerColor's Radeon RX 9070 (non-XT) Red Devil model have appeared on the XT's product page. Beyond discrepancies in connector counts, the overall design matches that of the Las Vegas showcase model.

AMD's board partners flaunted their new Radeon RX 9070 XT and RX 9070 custom models at last week's CES trade event, but no one expected to see retail units pop up anytime soon after the concluded Las Vegas showcase. Earlier today, a brave soul uploaded compelling new evidence on Team Red's subreddit—they claim that they were surprised to see the "early" delivery of Radeon RX 9070 XT and RX 9070 graphics card stock. Uploaded photos seem to show several boxed Sapphire Pulse models sitting in an Israeli computer store's stockroom. This leak has semi-ruined Sapphire's staggered Pulse-oriented marketing campaign—yesterday, a teaser image emerged via an official social media post.

Industry watcher, momomo_us, has gathered proof of GIGABYTE Radeon RX 9070 XT GAMING OC 16G and Radeon RX 9070 GAMING OC 16G model stock reaching Danish shores. According to VideoCardz, Føniks Computer's online store had at least four units available for purchase and immediate shipping (same business day). Entries for the two models have also appeared on Geizhals—this German price comparison engine lists January 24 as a market launch date. This information could be subject to change—AMD is likely still working on finalizing release window parameters. After all, recent pre-launch leaks have contained incomplete data and errors. It should be noted that NVIDIA's GeForce RTX 50 series is set to hit international markets on January 30—is Team Red planning to pre-empt this rollout?

The majority of AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT GPU-related leaks have emerged thanks to insiders playing around with pre-launch PowerColor RDNA 4 sample models. During and since CES, Team Red and its board partners have kept mum about specifications and performance figures—but happy accidents have allowed tech enthusiasts to pore over NDA-busting information. As reported by VideoCardz yesterday, Overclockers UK (OCUK) published a landing page that provided a brief look at basic Radeon RX 9070 XT and RX 9070 (non-XT) specs—the British retailer has since scrubbed this entry from its site.

Leaks have revealed alleged core counts—4096 for XT, and 3584 for non-XT—but Overclockers UK's charts listed a count of 4096 for both Navi 48 GPUs. They both sport 16 GB GDDR6 VRAM and 256-bit memory buses, and the leak reveals another shared trait: a 260 W TDP rating. VideoCardz reckons that this is an error—based on previous clock speed insider info, the Radeon RX 9070 non-XT's power consumption figure should be rated lower. The accidentally published clock speeds appear to be sourced from overclocked examples—AMD is reportedly not going to release full/finalized information until closer to launch, so OCUK could have relied on preliminary product guides. The FAQ section states that Team Red's RDNA 4 generation is sticking with a PCI-Express 4.0 x16 host interface—PCIe 5.0 systems are "thankfully" backwards compatible. NVIDIA's GeForce RTX 50 series will be leading the way into PCIe 5.0 spec territories.

GEEKOM, the Green Mini PC Global Leader, is going to release a new model named the A6 on January 17th, 2025. This mini PC is already available for pre-order on GEEKOM's official website. Priced at $449, it may just be the new best mini PC under $500.

According to the official information, the GEEKOM A6 mini PC employs a well-ventilated aluminium chassis which measures only 0.47 liter, but it packs enormous power under the hood, thanks to the perfect combination of a beefy processor, high-bandwidth DDR5 RAM, and a fast PCIe Gen 4 SSD.

The market for compact gaming handheld is expanding at an unprecedented rate, thanks to the popularity boom that handhelds have received in recent months. The GPD Win Min (2025) is one such offering, sitting alongside the rest of interesting gaming products that GPD is known for. The Win Mini is now available for pre-order on Indiegogo, with a starting price of $769 (backers only), and a retail price of $839. Of course, interested buyers are encouraged to be mindful of the risks associated with crowdfunding campaigns, although GPD has mostly had a complaint-free track record.

Unfortunately, and rather unsurprisingly, the entry-level variant does not ship with the latest AMD Strix Point chips, but rather the older Hawk Point offerings, specifically the Ryzen 7 8840U with the Radeon 780M iGPU with 12 CUs. The higher-tier variants ship with Strix Point APUs, starting at the Ryzen AI 9 HX 365 APU, going all the way up to the 12-core Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 with the powerful Radeon 890M iGPU. To accommodate the new APUs, GPD has reworked the thermals, and has added room for full-sized M.2 2280 SSD drives as well. The product packs hall-effect joysticks, plug-and-play grips, and a bunch of useful ports including USB4, USB 3.2 Type-C, an SD Card slot, an audio jack, as well as a good old USB-A port. The 7-inch 1080p display ramps up to 120 Hz, and the system can be equipped with up to 64 GB of memory and 2 TB of PCIe 4.0 storage, and a 44.24 Wh battery is also present.

AMD enforced strict conditions upon its manufacturing partners at the recently concluded CES trade event—various custom Radeon RX 9070 XT and RX 9070 (non-XT) models were showcased, but technical details were not revealed. The TechPowerUp team had a hands-on look at PowerColor's selection of Red Devil, Hellhound cards and newly debuted Reaper design—certain information could be pertained from labels and stickers (cough: 16 GB VRAM) yet brand reps remained tight-lipped about technical nitty gritty under-the-hood. News outlets have relied upon less-than-official sources—such as the Chiphell forum—to obtain performance figures. VideoCardz's working weekend session has produced alleged details about PowerColor's planned boost clock speeds—the headline being that a 3.0 GHz barrier has been broken.

The site's insider network proposes that PowerColor's top-flight Radeon RX 9070 XT Red Devil model is ready for launch with an OC BIOS set to boost matters up to 3060 MHz, while the silent performance mode shaves off fifty—bringing things down to a (still impressive) 3010 MHz. The more middle-of-the-pack Hellhound design is reported to achieve a 3010 MHz boost via its OC BIOS mode, and its silent operation is reported to be 2970 MHz. Additionally, a VideoCardz source reckons that game clocks are somewhere in the region of 2460 to 2520 MHz for both models. The "more affordable" PowerColor Radeon RX 9070 XT Reaper variant seems to lack BIOS switching, so its single operational mode is allegedly capable of boosting up to 2970 MHz.

The recently unveiled AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT has been the epicenter of a plethora of leaks in the past few weeks. We now have not only a rough idea of what kind of synthetic performance the highest-end RDNA 4 GPU is about to bring to the table, but also how much the card is expected to cost. Now, yet another leak seemingly sheds light on perhaps the most crucial aspect of any gaming GPU - it's in the name, gaming.

Hilariously enough, this leak, once again, has been sourced from a now-nerfed forum post on Chiphell. This time around, site admin nApoleon was able to run a few games on the brand-new RDNA 4 card, including Black Myth: Wukong and Cyberpunk 2077. The results have been added as screenshots below, but here is a summary - the RX 9070 XT performs decently well, trading blows with the RTX 4070 Ti Super. In NVIDIA's favorite Cyberpunk 2077 at 4K with ray tracing, the RX 9070 XT managed 26 FPS, neck and neck with the RTX 4070 Ti, whereas the RTX 4080 Super was well ahead with 32 FPS.

If the recent RDNA 4 performance leaks are anything to go by, the AMD Radeon RX 9070 and the RX 9070 XT GPUs are sizing up to be excellent mid-range contenders. That is, of course, if the pricing is sane enough. A subsequent leak revealed that the RX 9070 XT AIB models will command a price tag of roughly around $549, which would easily allow it to undercut the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070.

Now, a further leak has revealed a product listing of an RX 9070 XT by a retailer based in the Philippines. The variant in question is Gigabyte's Gaming OC model, with base and boost clocks of 2,400 and 2,970 MHz respectively. Moreover, 16 GB of GDDR6 memory is also offered, on a 256-bit memory bus. 4,096 shading units and 64 RT cores are present as well - nothing out of the ordinary.

As we reported yesterday, the Radeon RX 9070 XT appears to be all set to disrupt the mid-range gaming GPU segment, offering performance that looks truly enticing, at least if the leaked synthetic benchmarks are anything to go by. The highest-end RDNA 4 GPU is expected to handily outperform the RTX 4080 Super despite costing half as much, with comparison to its primary competitor, the RTX 5070, yet to be made.

Now, a fresh leak has seemingly hinted at how heavy the RDNA 4 GPU is going to be on its buyers' pockets. Also sourced from Chiphell, the Radeon RX 9070 XT is expected to command a price tag between $479 for AMD's reference card and roughly $549 for an AIB unit, varying based on which exact product one opts for. At that price, the Radeon RX 9070 XT easily undercuts the RTX 5070, which will start from $549, while offering 16 GB of VRAM, albeit of the older GDDR6 spec. There is hardly any doubt that the RTX GPU will come out ahead in ray tracing performance, as we already witnessed yesterday, although traditional rasterization performance will be more interesting to compare.

Although it has only been a few days since the RDNA 4-based GPUs from Team Red hit the scene, it appears that we have already been granted a first look at the 3D Mark performance of the highest-end Radeon RX 9070 XT GPU, and to be perfectly honest, the scores seemingly live up to our expectations - although with disappointing ray tracing performance. Unsurprisingly, the thread has been erased over at Chiphell, but folks have managed to take screenshots in the nick of time.

The specifics reveal that the Radeon RX 9070 XT will arrive with a massive TBP in the range of 330 watts, as revealed by a FurMark snap, which is substantially higher than the previous estimated numbers. With 16 GB of GDDR6 memory, along with base and boost clocks of 2520 and 3060 MHz, the Radeon RX 9070 XT managed to rake in an impressive 14,591 points in Time Spy Extreme, an around 6,345 points in Speed Way. Needless to say, the drivers are likely far from mature, so it is not outlandish to expect a few more points to get squeezed out of the RDNA 4 GPU.

We had a chance to get close and personal with the new ZOTAC ZONE GAMING prototype at the CES 2025 show. While it is not a final product, we had a chance to see it in action as it is a working prototype and thanks to updated hardware, it should provide much higher performance compared to the ZOTAC Zone that we had a chance to review last year.

The biggest update is the 4 nm Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 processor. The Strix Point architecture brings 12-core/24-thread CPU (four performance and eight efficiency) based on Zen 5 architecture, 24 MB of shared L3 cache and 1 MB of L2 cache per core. It also comes with Radeon 890M, a RDNA 3.5 architecture GPU with 16 Compute Units. ZOTAC also increased the amount of LPDDR5X RAM to 32 GB and raised M.2 2280 PCIe 4.0 SSD storage space to 1 TB. The Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 has a standard TDP of 28 W, and a configurable TDP between 15 W and 54 W, so it gives ZOTAC a lot of room to work with. It also features 50 TOPS XDNA NPU.

ASRock has showcased its AMD Navi 48 GPUs on the showroom floor at this year's CES trade event—only hours ago, a TechPowerUp team member familiarized themselves with Taichi, Steel Legend and Challenger options. The new models are offered up in Radeon RX 9070 XT and 9070 variants—these next generation cards are due to arrive later this quarter alongside RDNA 4 and FSR 4 technologies. Out of the gate ASRock representatives were keen to show off their new flagship cog/gear-themed model.

The ASRock Radeon RX 9070 XT Taichi is a very long and chunky proposition—TPU's photos depict a triple-slot design, continuing the legacy of preceding Taichi designs. ASRock has refreshed its custom shrouds and backplates for the RDNA 4 generation—the incoming RX 9070 XT Taichi is quite boxy when compared to its older sibling. Cog wheel graphics on the backplate seem to jump out more due to updated coloration/contrast. The usual Taichi triple-fan config is present here, with a smattering of RGB lighting strips spread across its shroud. Performance and quiet operating modes can be accessed via a rear switch. Another switch—placed next to the card's single 12-pin power connector—gives you the option to turn onboard LED lighting on or off.

At CES 2025, GIGABYTE unveiled their latest Radeon RX 9070 series GPUs, showcasing the AORUS Radeon RX 9070 XT ELITE and the Radeon RX 9070 GAMING OC models. Powered by AMD's new RDNA 4 architecture, GIGABYTE has prepared a massive triple-fan cooling setup for both cards. The AORUS RX 9070 XT ELITE stands out with its WINDFORCE cooling system, featuring a newly designed Hawk fan and a vapor chamber with composite copper heat pipes for enhanced thermal management. The card also glows with an RGB Halo lighting system, a reinforced structure with an RGB-illuminated metal backplate, and dual BIOS modes for performance and silent operation. Meanwhile, the RX 9070 GAMING OC offers similar cutting-edge features in a sleek package, tailored for gamers who demand a balance of performance and style.

These new GIGABYTE models, with features such as dual BIOS for overclocking, help AMD's RX 9070 series deliver performance comparable to the RX 7900 XT or even higher in rasterization while introducing innovations like 2nd gen AI accelerators, 3rd gen ray tracing accelerators, and the FidelityFX Super Resolution 4 (FSR 4) with frame generation and anti-lag technology. With these GPUs set to launch in Q1 2025, we will learn more about the pricing structure in the coming days.

Acer today launched the new Nitro Blaze 8 and Nitro Blaze 11 handheld gaming devices, designed to elevate mobile gaming experiences with cutting-edge performance and versatile features. Powered by AMD Ryzen 7 8840HS processors, 16 GB of LPDDR5X memory, and up to 2 TB of storage, the Nitro Blaze series boasts lightning-fast performance and responsiveness. Their WQXGA touch panels (8.8-inch or 10.95-inch) featuring Radeon Super Resolution and AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution technology, ensure fluid image quality. The dedicated Acer Game Space application simplifies managing and accessing popular games and applications on handheld gaming PCs.

The new Nitro Mobile Gaming Controller enhances the mobile gaming experience by enabling users to game anywhere and anytime with its foldable design. It supports fast charging to allow uninterrupted gaming sessions while powering mobile devices quickly.

PowerColor has prepared its highest-end Radeon RX 9070 XT GPU in the "Red Devil" family. In a post on the social media platform X, PowerColor shared the below picture with the following words: "Every edge shines like a gem. Every second burns like fire. If power was in your hands, how would you use it?" The picture shows an interesting design with a black shroud holding a red acrylic core, which follows the design philosophy of Red Devil cards. On the backplate, PowerColor has embedded a Red Devil sign with a meshed plate on top of it to show the card branding. Suppose the previous generations of Red Devil cards are for reference. In that case, we assume that the Radeon RX 9070 XT Red Devil will deliver top-tier specifications and component selection for overclocking, meaning that this card will be one of the highest-end RDNA 4 designs that we will see. Of course, surprises are welcome, and we must wait for the CES launch to see more.

AMD will continue using traditional PCI Express power connectors for its upcoming Radeon RX 9000 series RDNA 4 graphics cards, according to recent information shared on the Chiphell forum. While there were some expectations that AMD would mimic NVIDIA's approach, which requires the newer 16-pin 12V-2×6 connector for its GeForce RTX 50 series, the latest information suggests a more traditional power approach. While AMD plans to release its next generation of graphics cards in the first quarter, most technical details remain unknown. The company's choice to stick with standard power connectors follows the pattern set by their recent Radeon RX 7900 GRE, which demonstrated that conventional PCI Express connectors can adequately handle power demands up to 375 W. The standard connectors eliminate the need for adapters, a feature AMD could highlight as an advantage. An earlier leak suggested that the Radeon RX 9070 XT can draw up to 330 W of power at peak load.

Intel reportedly cited similar reasons for using standard power connectors in their Arc "Battlemage" graphics cards, suggesting broader industry support for maintaining existing connection standards. NVIDIA's different approach reportedly requires all board partners to use the 12V-2×6 connector for the RTX 50 series, removing the option for traditional PCI Express power connectors. In contrast, AMD's decision gives its manufacturing partners more flexibility in their design choices, and MBA (Made by AMD) reference cards don't enforce the new 12V-2×6 power connector standard. Beyond the power connector details and general release timeframe pointing to CES, AMD has revealed little about the RDNA 4 architecture's capabilities. Only the reference card's physical appearance and naming scheme appear to be finalized, leaving questions about performance specifications unanswered, as early underwhelming performance leaks are somewhat unreliable until final drivers and final optimizations land.

NVIDIA and AMD have launched an acceleration of their next-generation GPU production and shipping schedules, racing to beat impending Trump administration tariffs that could inflate prices by up to 60%. The companies are prioritizing delivery to US warehouses before January 20, when the new trade measures are supposed to take effect. This aggressive timeline represents a significant departure from traditional GPU rollout strategies, which typically maintain controlled production rates during initial manufacturing phases. The urgent push aims to protect both consumer prices and profit margins, with manufacturers breaking from their usual conservative supply approach to ensure maximum inventory reaches American shores before the tariff deadline. NVIDIA is boosting shipments of its next-gen GeForce RTX 50 series, while AMD is busy with Radeon RX 9000 series.

The impact of these tariffs could reshape the GPU market prices, with flagship products like NVIDIA's GeForce RTX 5090 potentially seeing price increases from the rumored $1,799 to approximately $2,500. Following similar moves by Microsoft, Dell, and HP, this strategic rush to beat tariff implementation shows the technology sector's response to evolving trade policies. These price hikes could trigger a surge in the secondary GPU market as consumers seek more affordable options. While manufacturers work to shield customers from immediate price impacts through pre-tariff stockpiling, the long-term outlook for GPU pricing and availability remains uncertain as the industry adapts to these new trade dynamics. Increasing the prices dramatically will result in a rapid fall in demand, so the supply chain is working overtime to assess and address the potential tariff issue.

AMD fans are undoubtedly on their toes to witness the performance improvements that Strix Halo is ready to bring forth. Unlike Strix Point, which utilizes a combination of Zen 5c and full-fat Zen 5 cores, Strix Halo will do away with the small cores for a Zen 5 "only" setup, allowing for substantially better multicore performance. Moreover, it is also widely expected that Strix Halo will boast chunky iGPUs that will bring the heat to entry-level and even some mid-range mobile GPUs, allowing Strix Halo systems to not require discrete graphics at all, with a prime example being the upcoming ROG Flow Z13 tablet.

As per recent reports, the upcoming Ryzen AI Max+ Pro 395 APU will sport an RDNA 3.5-based iGPU with a whopping 40 CUs, and will likely be branded as the Radeon 8060S. In a leaked Geekbench Vulkan benchmark, the Radeon 8060S managed to outpace the RTX 4060 Laptop dGPU in performance. However, according to yet another leaked benchmark, Passmark, the Radeon 8060S and the 32-CU 8050S scored 16,454 and 16,663 respectively - and no, that is not a typo. The 8060S with 40 CUs is marginally slower than the 8050S with 32 CUs, clearly indicating that the numbers are far from final. That said, performance in this range puts the Strix Halo APUs well below the RTX 4070 laptop GPU, and roughly the same as the RTX 3080 Laptop. Not bad for an iGPU, although it is almost certain that actual performance of the retail units will be higher, judging by the abnormally small delta between the 8050S and the 8060S.

Recent benchmark leaks have revealed that AMD's upcoming Radeon RX 9070 XT graphics card may not deliver the groundbreaking performance initially hoped for by enthusiasts. According to leaked 3DMark Time Spy results shared by hardware leaker @All_The_Watts, the RDNA 4-based GPU achieved a graphics score of 22,894 points. The benchmark results indicate that the RX 9070 XT performs only marginally better than AMD's current RX 7900 GRE, showing a mere 2% improvement. It falls significantly behind the RX 7900 XT, which maintains almost a 17% performance advantage over the new card. These findings contradict earlier speculation that suggested the RX 9070 XT would compete directly with NVIDIA's RTX 4080.

However, synthetic benchmarks tell only part of the story. The GPU's real-world gaming performance remains to be seen, and rumors indicate that the RX 9070 XT may offer significantly improved ray tracing capabilities compared to its RX 7000 series predecessors. This could be crucial for market competitiveness, particularly given the strong ray tracing performance of NVIDIA's RTX 40 and the upcoming RTX 50 series cards. The success of the RX 9070 XT depends on how well it can differentiate itself through features like ray tracing while maintaining an attractive price-to-performance ratio in an increasingly competitive GPU market. We expect these scores not to be the final tale in the AMD RDNA 4 story, as we must wait and see what AMD delivers during CES. Third-party reviews and benchmarks will give the final verdict in the RDNA 4 market launch.

AMD's interim RDNA 3.5 architecture will power the Radeon RX 8000 series integrated graphics in "Strix Halo" mobile processors, while the more advanced RDNA 4 architecture is reserved for the higher-tier Radeon RX 9000 series of discrete graphics, according to @9550pro on X. We previously believed that AMD's Ryzen AI MAX 300 Strix Halo processors would carry an iGPU with Radeon 8000S branding. However, at the same time, we expected the Radeon RX 8000 series of desktop GPUs to have a similar branding while being powered by RDNA 4. The new Radeon naming scheme is now transparent, thanks to the latest leaks of the naming schemes and early glimpses of reference design.

The RDNA 4-based RX 9000 series will be powered by the Radeon RX 9070 XT, built on the Navi 48 silicon. This GPU represents AMD's new focus on the high-volume midrange performance segment rather than competing in the ultra-enthusiast high-end space. The architecture promises enhanced SIMD IPC performance and a specialized ray tracing solution that significantly reduces performance overhead compared to current offerings. According to All The Watts, the RX 9000 lineup is expected to include various SKUs across different performance tiers, including the RX 9060, 9050, and 9040 series. Meanwhile, the RDNA 3.5-powered RX 8000 series will serve as a refined iteration of the current RDNA 3 generation. Still, they will be exclusive to AMD's mobile segment in the form of iGPU, integrated inside Strix Halo APU. Both RDNA 4 GPUs and RDNA 3.5-based APUs are scheduled for the CES 2025 event unveiling in January.

AMD's upcoming Ryzen AI Kraken Point APUs appear to be affordable APUs for next-generation thin-and-light laptops and potentially even some gaming handhelds. Murmurings of these new APUs have been going around for quite some time, but a PassMark benchmark was just posted, giving us a pretty comprehensive look at the hardware configuration for the upcoming Ryzen AI 7 350. While the CPU configuration in the PassMark result confirms the 4+4 configuration we reported on previously, it seems as though the iGPU portion of the new Ryzen AI 7 is getting something of a downgrade compared to previous generations.

While all previous mobile Ryzen 7 and Ryzen 9 APUs have featured the Radeon -80M or -90M series iGPUs, the Ryzen AI 7 350 steps down to the AMD Radeon 860M. Although not much is known about the new iGPU, it uses the same nomenclature as the Radeon iGPUs found in previous Ryzen 5 APUs, suggesting it is the less performant of the new 800 series iGPUs. This would be the first time, at least since the introduction of the Ryzen branding, that a Ryzen 7 CPU will use a cut-down iGPU. This, along with the 4+4 (Zen 5 and Zen 5c) heterogenous architecture, suggests that this Ryzen 7 APU will prioritize battery life and thermal performance, likely in response to Qualcomm's recent offerings. Comparing the 760M to the single 860M benchmark on PassMark reveals similar performance, with the 860M actually falling behind the average 760M by an average of 9.1%. Take this with a grain of salt, though, since there is only one benchmark result on PassMark for the 860M.

According to Tweakers, AMD's Radeon RX 7900 GRE graphics card has reached end-of-life status, as confirmed by multiple AMD board partners they have contacted. The announcement comes just months after the card's expansion into European markets following its initial 2023 exclusive launch in China. Tweakers report that the supply of the RX 7900 GRE is rapidly declining across retail channels. While ASUS models remain somewhat available, the manufacturer has informed Tweakers that deliveries are currently "limited." AMD has not responded to their multiple requests for comment regarding the discontinuation. The RX 7900 GRE offers compelling specifications that position it as a slightly scaled-down variant of the more premium RX 7900 XT.

Built on AMD's RDNA 3 architecture, the card features 80 CUs and 16 GB of GDDR6 memory and operates at a 260 W TDP. The timing of this discontinuation is particularly interesting as AMD prepares to unveil its next-generation RDNA 4-based Radeon RX 8000 series. Perhaps AMD is trying to flush out its remaining inventory to make room for its Radeon RX 8000 series GPUs, which should mainly target the middle-range of the next-generation GPU families, including competition like NVIDIA with "Blackwell" and Intel with "Battlemage." With the new card scheduled to appear during AMD's CES keynote on January 6 in Las Vegas, we have to wait and see what products AMD puts out before analyzing why AMD decided to EOL its Radeon RX 7900 GRE.