Taiwan's Original Price House and MSI are running a compelling promotion; involving the trade in of the manufacturer's signature "Lucky Dragon" figurines for a GeForce RTX 5080 VANGUARD SOC graphics card. As reported by HKEPC Hardware, five lucky participants have managed to exchange completed sets—of nine individual toys—for GB203 GPU-based flagships. According to MSI's "Blind Box Of Lucky" landing page, ten exclusive designs—including a rare Maoi secret edition—were produced and then (randomly) bundled into VANGUARD Launch Edition packages. HKEPC outlined conditions: "applicable models include GeForce RTX 5070, RTX 5070 Ti, RTX 5080 and RTX 5090. It is limited to only 1,000 pieces worldwide." VideoCardz reckons that majority of Lucky Dragon VANGUARD boxes were sent to reviewers and influencers, so it could be challenging for mere mortals to accumulate a qualifying tally of cute plastic mascots.

As disclosed by HKEPC (a Hong Kong-based organization), one individual has gone to great lengths to complete the set: "a Taiwanese netizen posted in the HKEPC DIY group, hoping to purchase the 'Lucky Dragon' at a high price of NT$4,000 ($121 USD). After inquiry, it was learned that this is related to an event currently being held in Taiwan. As long as you collect 9 different Lucky Around the World Dragons before May 31, 2025 and keep the outer box, Taiwan Original Price House will exchange them for an MSI RTX 5080 VANGUARD graphics card worth NT$43,990 ($1332 USD), and there is no limit to the number of cards you can exchange." As of late January, the editor of Cool PC—a Taiwanese media outlet—was seeking to complete their set of MSI "Lucky Around The World" dragon collectibles. They used their news section to send out a personal request to readers: "when he has collected 9 of them, he can exchange them for a GeForce RTX 5080 at Original Price House!..The editor likes it very much, and is willing to exchange it with the lucky person who has collected a set of 9 different Lucky Around the World Dragons."

Yesterday evening, the NVIDIA AI Developer social media account sent out a red alert regarding a time limited sale of flagship-tier Blackwell gaming hardware: "GeForce RTX 5090s are available at the Gear Store in the park right now at GTC 2025. 90 units are available for the next 30 minutes, with more coming tomorrow. Come say hi!" PC hardware news outlets have picked up on Team Green's latest stock bulletin, with Tom's Hardware disclosing some extra details. Under normal circumstances, NVIDIA's Gear Store Mobile Truck would be selling fairly standard merchandise—e.g. T-shirts, sweaters, hats, etc. According to the latest reports, the company's mobile pop-up store is taking orders for add-in-boards (AIB) GeForce RTX 5090 and RTX 5080 models. An information placard advertises old school/launch day guide prices of $1999 and $999 (respectively).

Tom's Hardware noted several caveats: "the graphics cards must be purchased from NVIDIA's van from 7 AM to 12 PM on Thursday or Friday and then picked up at South Hall main entrance the same day. The graphics boards are available to conference pass ($1145 for one day, or $2295 for five days) and exhibit pass holders only; with a limit of one card per person." According to folks on the ground, Team Green and its board partners have stockpiled a thousand of each highly-desirable GPU model at the San Jose Convention Center. The first waves of time-limited batches were made available yesterday (March 19). Demand for flagship and top-end GeForce RTX 50 series cards has far exceeded supply, starting back in late January. Following an absorption of plentiful feedback, NVIDIA revived its "Verified Priority Access" scheme a couple of weeks ago. This anti-scalping initiative was advertised as offering: "a limited number of verified GeForce gamers and creators in the United States the opportunity to purchase one GeForce RTX 5090 or RTX 5080 Founders Edition graphics card from the NVIDIA Marketplace."

PNY officially introduced its launch lineup of GeForce RTX 50-series graphics cards at CES 2025; all brand-new offerings were plainly labelled as "Triple Fan" models. Yesterday, VideoCardz alerted its readership to the emergence of "Plus" variants—all utilizing upper-mid-range NVIDIA's GeForce RTX 5070 Ti "Blackwell" GPU. In recent times, several of Team Green's board partners have stealthily added new products to web presences without any PR fanfare accompaniment. Last week, ZOTAC quietly expanded its SOLID GeForce RTX 5080 and RTX 5070 Ti product ranges with "slimmer" CORE options.

PNY's four freshest additions are dubbed "Triple Fan Plus"—quite fittingly, this updated moniker refers to larger card dimensions. Price and launch information was not available at the time of writing, but we can safely assume that their GeForce RTX 5070 Ti ARGB Triple Fan Plus OC SKU will sit at the top of the American AIB's resized pack. A non-overclocked ARGB-lit model is present on TPU's GPU database, alongside non-ARGB OC and standard variants. PNY's Triple Fan Plus shroud design is a chunky unit; VideoCardz noted growth (over vanilla variants) in two dimensions—gaining 1.7 cm in width, and roughly 3 cm in length. The already released Triple Fan housing officially occupied "2.8"-slots, but the larger "Plus" sibling is a proper 3-slot space filler. VideoCardz highlighted revised retail packaging—instead of a simple side-printed "GeForce RTX" logo, Plus boxes are adorned with a full GPU readout: "GeForce RTX 5070 Ti." The newer shroud design seems to sport shinier black accents, and wider ARGB lighting channels.

Coverage of Radeon RX 9070 XT and RX 9070 launch batches has mainly focused on Western market conditions, with little insight into goings-on in China. AMD and board partners held a special RDNA 4 kick-off event in Beijing at the end of February, roughly twelve hours in advance of their international presentation. According to VideoCardz, initial supplies of Yeston's Sakura and Sakura Atlantis graphics cards were snapped up quickly by regional customers. The Chinese AIB specializes in brightly-hued shroud and backplate designs, often decorated with "waifu" illustrations and miscellaneous cute graphics. Unfortunately, interested parties from abroad are limited to importing from local retail platforms.

Yeston's social media accounts have alerted potential customers to re-stocks and connected developments—their latest bulletin hints about an improved situation, following another swift depletion of refreshed stock: "hello everyone! Thank you for the support! We have received a lot of messages and would love to inform you now the supply is unstable, but we will restock every week. Please don't be frustrated if you didn't get it. The supply will become stable and continue to be available after April." Interestingly, this morning's message did not touch upon the controversial topic of price hikes. At launch, Yeston's latest Navi 48 GPU-based offerings conformed or floated just above Team Red baseline MSRP (including VAT)—4999 RMB (~$686 USD) for XT, 4499 RMB (~$617 USD) for non-XT—likely boosting demand around that time. Last week, AMD board partners in Japan expressed concerns about current supply constraints—GPU market share in that region had climbed to ~45%, due to the popularity of RX 9070 Series graphics cards. Team Red could lose ground if GPU allocation limitations continue.

"Second wave" ASUS price hikes were documented online over the past weekend; affecting air-cooled premium ROG Astral and mid-tier TUF Gaming GeForce RTX 5090 models. Looking at the company's North American webshop, visitors noticed a freshly adjusted price for the ROG Astral GeForce RTX 5090 32 GB OC Edition—going from a previous level of $3079.99 up to $3359.99. Curiously, the asking price of a liquid-cooled sibling was not adjusted—remaining at a "first wave" point of $3409.99. The "cheapest" model—TUF Gaming GeForce RTX 5090 (non-OC)—experienced a $460 (representing 20%) price hike, bringing total cost of ownership up to $2759.99. As a reminder, NVIDIA's baseline MSRP guideline was $1999—as announced at CES 2025—but ROG Astral and TUF Gaming designs demand a premium or two for fancier feature sets. VideoCardz has fervently explored worrying market trends in the recent past; several of NVIDIA's big board partner players have jacked up asking prices for GeForce RTX 50-series graphics cards. Availability of stock is still a major sore point for potential buyers, who were not able to secure launch day wares. Despite a driving up of costs, the ASUS US webstore has absolutely zero stock of GeForce RTX 5090 SKUs—at the time of writing.

In addition, VideoCardz and other PC hardware media outlets noted price hikes affecting the manufacturer's stable of recently launched AMD Radeon RX 9070 Series TUF Gaming and PRIME models. In the absence of AMD-built (MBA) reference card designs, board partners were tasked with the providing of baseline "MSRP" conformant custom cards. The ASUS PRIME Radeon RX 9070 XT OC and RX 9070 OC Editions were readied as $599 and $549 options (respectively). Weekend sleuthing work put the spotlight on newly adjusted price points of $719.99 and $659.99 (respectively)—representing further cases of plain 20% elevations over baseline. AMD's debut batch of RDNA 4 cards was met with unprecedented demand earlier on in March, but secondary/tertiary stock shipments face unclear market conditions—Team Red GPU enthusiasts have (similarly) voiced their collective displeasure about elevated prices at retail. Mid-way through last week, the PC hardware community heard about ASUS leadership considering a new pricing strategy. The company is reportedly accelerating its manufacturing exodus from China.

Throughout the early months of 2025, PowerColor's new product strategy seemed to signal the retirement of their entry-level "Fighter" graphics card series. A natural replacement—dubbed "Reaper"—was debuted in an official capacity at CES 2025, with AMD's introduction of the new-gen Radeon RX 9070 Series. With the delay of Team Red's RDNA 4 global market release to March 6, the Taiwanese manufacturer proceeded with a launch of custom Radeon RX 7650 GRE Reaper models in China around late February. According to a past weekend VideoCardz news report, PowerColor is expanding its RDNA 3 portfolio once again. Their investigation has unearthed a new Radeon RX 7600 "Fighter V2" model—confusingly, this variant seems to borrow the recently introduced dual-fan Reaper cooling solution.

According to leaked information, PowerColor is expected to launch its "V2" Fighter model to a global buying audience. The AIB's Radeon RX 7650 GRE Reaper cards (in black or white) will continue to serve as Chinese market exclusives. The leaked "RX7600 8G-F/V2" product identifier indicates that PowerColor is keeping its "Fighter" family alive for a little bit longer, perhaps with a designation of cards that utilize older generation architecture. Insiders propose that the incoming PowerColor RX 7600 Fighter V2 model is configured with reference specifications; mirroring version 1.0's credentials. VideoCardz has mocked up speculative packaging (see below); they reckon that a black variant is lined up for an imminent release—the aforementioned product code has cropped up across retail databases.

A week ago, MSI introduced its lineup of custom GeForce RTX 5070 graphics card models—headlined by their premium VANGUARD option, with a product stack going down to a budget friendly INSPIRE 3X offering. Since then, the Taiwanese manufacturer has added another entry to its NVIDIA "Blackwell" GB205 GPU-based family. As observed by VideoCardz, MSI is overpopulating its GeForce RTX 5070 stack with two more models. The SHADOW 2X OC and SHADOW 2X (non-OC) have—very recently—popped up on the company's website, with absolutely zero PR fanfare. The triple-fan SHADOW 3X designs received a similar treatment last month—brand-new stealth-black GeForce RTX 5080 and RTX 5070 Ti custom designs seemingly appeared overnight.

As befits the nomenclature, MSI's SHADOW 2X design sports a TORX 5.0 dual-fan cooling solution. As covered by TechPowerUp's news section in the past, the SHADOW series shares similarities with VENTUS—both families serve as "baseline MSRP" conformant products, due to a minimalistic aesthetic and barebones feature set (i.e. focused on the essentials). MSI marketing blurb describes SHADOW as: "a performance-focused design that delivers the gaming experience players want, making it the ideal choice when upgrading or building a gaming rig." The company has courted controversy in recent times; VideoCardz and other media outlets have leveled plenty of criticism throughout February and March—the lack of "MSRP" models and reported price hiking at launch became major sticking points. Industry watchdogs believe that the freshly unveiled SHADOW 2X models will be in short supply for the foreseeable future.

As reported last month, GALAX had distributed prototypes of its upcoming flagship "Hall of Fame" (HOF) card—based on NVIDIA's Chinese market exclusive GeForce RTX 5090D GPU—to prominent figures within the PC hardware overclocking community. Earlier examples sported single 12V-2×6 power connectors, although GALAX's exposed white PCB design showed extra space for an additional unit. Evaluators conducted experiments involving liquid nitrogen-based cooling methods. The most vocal of online critics questioned the overclocking capability of initial GeForce RTX 5090D HOF samples, due to limitations presented by a lone avenue of power delivery. A definitive answer has arrived in the form of the manufacturer's elite team-devised GeForce RTX 5090D HOF Extreme Overclock (XOC) Lab Limited Edition candidate; a newer variant that makes use of dual 12V-2×6 power connectors. Several overclocking experts have entered into a GALAX-hosted competition—Micka:)Shu, a Chinese participant, posted photos of their test rig setup (see below).

Micka's early access sample managed to achieve top placement GPU on UL Benchmarks' 3DMark Speed Way Hall of Fame, with a final score of 17169 points. A screenshotted GPU-Z session shows the card's core frequency reaching 3277 MHz. Around late January, ASUS China's general manager (Tony Yu) documented his overclocking of a ROG Astral RTX 5090 D GAMING OC specimen up to 3.4 GHz; under liquid nitrogen cooled conditions. GALAX has similarly outfitted its flagship model with selectively binned components and an "over-engineered" design. The company's "bog-standard" HOF model is no slouch, despite the limitation imposed by a single power connector. The GALAX OC Facebook account sent out some appreciation to another noted competitor (and collaborator): "thanks to Overclocked Gaming Systems—OGS Rauf for help with the overclock of GeForce RTX 5090D HOF, and all of (our) GALAX products." The OGS member set world records with said "normal" HOF card—achieving scores of 59,072 points in 3DMark's Fire Strike Extreme project, and 25,040 points in Unigine Superposition (8K-optimized).

Shortly after participating in AMD's special RDNA 4 launch event, XFX presented its custom Radeon RX 9070 Series graphics card models to Chinese media outlets. The board partner's "QUICKSILVER class" customizable shroud design was highlighted by global PC hardware news sites—a demonstration unit was showcased with attached "racing car red and white" sections. At the time, XFX's web presences teased this intriguing modular system: "the RX 9000 Series QUICKSILVER Class GPUs features customizable magnetic wings which can be easily removed and replaced to match your style and needs." Select models also sport the manufacturer's impressive "Magnetic Air" triple-fan system—as explored in W1zzard's review of a related (higher-end) MERCURY model; worth a read!

Very recently, XFX's RDNA 4 QUICKSILVER splash page was updated with additional information: "3D Printer Required—3D files available in the downloads section on the product pages." A fresh VideoCardz report covered the availability of 3D print files for compatible card models, via official download pages. Owners can print out their own interpretations, but "magnets are required for assembly." XFX has not yet indicated whether it will sell aftermarket magnetic wing parts. The company's general mentioning of "RX 9000 Series" could imply that forthcoming QUICKSILVER models—e.g. Radeon RX 9060 XT—will be similarly provisioned with modular shroud designs.

AMD has officially stated that its portfolio of RDNA 4 generation graphics cards consists of Radeon RX 9070 XT, RX 9070, and RX 9060 XT models. Last December, a longer list of GPUs appeared online—this pre-Christmas 2024 leak revealed Radeon RX 9060, RX 9050 and RX 9040 identifiers. Team Red seems to be working on populating the lower end of its Radeon RX 9000 family—similarly, Team Green is reportedly expanding its "Blackwell" GPU generation into the "entry-mainstream" segment with their RTX 5050 card design.

Late last week, a Mexican PC hardware retailer inadvertently added Radeon RX 9060 and 9050 categories (not product listings) to its webstore. Noted graphics card watchdogs picked up on the shop's accidental adding of search filters; prompting the swift removal of NDA-busting material (by the time of writing). Resultant VideoCardz news coverage has spread the word of possible forthcoming launches of much cheaper RDNA 4 GPU models. AMD and involved board partners are likely aiming to get lower-mid-range Radeon RX 9060 XT cards out of the door by the second quarter of 2025. Recent leaks indicate Radeon RX 9060 (non-XT) and RX 9050-class products potentially arriving at retail closer to summertime, with speculated "Navi 44" GPUs onboard.

Last week, Acer registered a glut of new graphics card SKUs—an extensive EEC filing revealed several unannounced Nitro and Predator BiFrost Radeon RX 9060 XT models. The AMD board partner seems to be preparing two memory configurations for its lower-end RDNA 4 custom cards: 16 GB and 8 GB (GDDR6). VideoCardz reached out to AIB industry moles, in order to establish whether the aforementioned specification points were concrete. A past weekend report "reconfirms" incoming 16 GB and 8 GB variants. Going back to RDNA 3, Team Red released its Radeon RX 7600 XT GPU in 16 GB form, while the cheaper Radeon RX 7600 made do with a VRAM pool of 8 GB. An unnamed board partner's list of launch day offerings reportedly contains basic technical specs (see screenshot below).

Leaked Radeon RX 9060 XT details show 16 GB GDDR6 and 8 GB GDDR6 variants, with 128-bit memory interfaces. VideoCardz believes that 20 Gbps memory chips will be utilized, as featured on recently launched Radeon RX 9070 series cards. The leaked product list indicates that required juice will be delivered through a lone 8-pin power connector; a minimum PSU requirement suggestion is 500 W, although this could jump up to 550 W for factory overlocked SKUs. A speculative "Navi 48 LE" GPU variant is present within TechPowerUp's GPU database entry for the Radeon RX 9060 XT. VideoCardz reckons that a "Navi 44" GPU would be more appropriate for this class; perhaps derived from a mobile part. The leak suggests the presence of a single HDMI 2.1 port, as well as two DP 2.1 ports—a smaller GPU would have trouble driving more than that. During an official RDNA 4 launch event—held in Beijing, late last month—a Team Red representative announced a loose Q2 2025 launch window for Radeon RX 9060 XT graphics cards.

Yesterday's global launch of Radeon RX 9070 XT and RX 9070 was a relatively successful affair; day one stock was swiftly snapped up. Naturally, buying conditions were not ideal for every customer. Despite a prominent UK retailer's teasing of plentiful supply (pre-launch), online feedback pointed to apparent limited supplies of RDNA 4 cards across European regions. Fresh reports suggest that anticipated fluid price conditions have caused a larger than expected rush at retail; hence the rapid depletion of opening day stock. As reported yesterday, a handful of PC hardware stores have alluded to forthcoming upward shifts in pricing for the lower-end of an all-board partner-built Radeon RX 9070 series graphics card lineup. VideoCardz has highlighted a disgruntled customer's experience with Ebuyer UK. Bran180s—a Radeon subreddit member—managed to snag a baseline MSRP conformant Sapphire PULSE RX 9070 XT model for the ideal launch price (£569.99, including VAT), but the webstore reneged this transaction.

A screenshot was uploaded to Reddit, alongside a short story: "was on the website ready for the launch of the RX 9070 XT, got one straight away and paid no issues. Ebuyer emailed me today to cancel, and now the price is £150 more." The British e-tailer has issued apologies, following the absorption of online criticism (see relevant screenshot below). The "normal price" of Sapphire's basic Pulse card was eventually adjusted to a mere £664.98, but Ebuyer has de-listed this SKU (at the time of writing). Other UK webshops—Scan, AWD-IT, CCL, Box etc.—have similarly implemented price hikes across low, mid and premium card tiers. Australia's Hardware Unboxed managed to extract an official response from AMD—their social media post quoted Frank Azor. The Team Red exec indicated that his team is ready to intervene: "it is inaccurate that $549/$599 MSRP is launch-only pricing. We expect cards to be available from multiple vendors at $549/$599 (excluding region specific tariffs and/or taxes) based on the work we have done with our AIB partners, and more are coming. At the same time, the AIBs have different premium configurations at higher price points and those will also continue."

Earlier in the week, SAPPHIRE's Global Senior VP Marketing Manager—Adrian Thompson—posted a fascinating photo of soon-to-be released PULSE Radeon RX 9070 XT graphics cards, located in an unidentified warehouse. His social media post/teaser stated: "ready to ship to happy customers." Given the apparent impressive volume of boxed products on display, supply chain insiders have referred back to prior leaks. As far back as mid-January (2025), board partner custom Radeon RX 9070 XT and RX 9070 models were reaching end destinations; at retail/e-tail warehouses. In reaction to Thompson's preview of stockpiled RDNA 4-based PULSE boxes, Overclockers UK (OCUK) expressed mild disapproval.

Gibbo (aka Andrew Gibson) posted a follow-up on the company's discussion board: "as Sapphire jumped the gun with our content (TUT, TUT), I might as well share with you guys the Borg Cube (that) Overclockers UK's marketing department spent hours building out of Sapphire RX 9070 XT Pulse Cards and yes the cube is solid, the center is even more 9070 XT Pulse cards, and we have over 1000 in stock just of this model. Even better, OCUK will hit £569 (including VAT) on this incredible beast of a card, with hundreds to go round at MSRP. In fact, we have so much stock we could build an armada of Borg Cubes pretty much out of every model we have and from all brands, we have several thousand cards in stock spanning across Sapphire, PowerColor and ASRock all of which have 1000+ in stock of each brand." This friendly update strikes with a happier tone—in sharp contrast, Gibbo detailed a sorry situation prior to the launch of GeForce RTX 5090 cards. At the time of writing, the Overclockers UK webstore is down—visitors are seeing "504 Gateway Time-out" error messages. A lot of pre-launch buzz and hype has likely drummed up plenty of buyer interest—thus causing an overloading of servers. In yesterday afternoon's board post, Gibbo continued his Star Trek-themed musings: "we then also have several hundred cards from Gigabyte and ASUS as well, this launch will be impossible to resist as such is the reason we built Borg Cubes, because AMD will assimilate you, resistance is futile, BUY tomorrow (March 6) from OCUK at 2pm with prices starting from £524.99 Inc VAT."

Last month, TechPowerUp was heavily involved in the identification of missing ROPs across newly released GeForce RTX 50-series graphics cards. NVIDIA, board partners and system integrators have (largely) acknowledged these issues. Certain companies have initiated the processing of customer returned units, but a pre-built PC specialist—CyberPowerPC—revealed a more proactive approach when dealing with less-than-pedigree hardware. Corsair has weighed in on the matter, since its ORIGIN and Vengeance businesses are involved in the building and sale of modern gaming rigs. A company rep—CorsairLucky—provided some insight on their official subreddit: "upon learning of this issue, we immediately implemented a thorough review of the detailed production reports for each system shipped to date. Matching the expected breadth of this issue, we have identified only one customer with an affected GPU and are actively working with them to provide a replacement."

Team Green posits that only 0.5% of released "Blackwell" GPU-based products are affected, Corsair's statement also refers to this percentage statistic. Several media outlets have posited that NVIDIA has produced a "conjectured" figure—in particular, the claimed 0.5% stat was questioned by Gamers Nexus. According to VideoCardz's inside track, NVIDIA's launch of GeForce RTX 5070 cards was delayed due to a number of factors—including lower than expected ROP counts. Earlier today, Team Green confirmed that its GeForce RTX 5070 Founders Edition launch window has been pushed into "late March."

ASUS has taken the unusual step of formally announcing day one availability of its brand-new offerings—in TUF Gaming and PRIME forms—to the NVIDIA subreddit community. Today (March 5) marks the retail rollout of AIB-built GeForce RTX 5070 graphics cards—unfortunately, NVIDIA Founders Edition enthusiasts will have to wait a little longer for a now delayed launch. VideoCardz has called out ASUS on a number of occasions over the past month and a half, regarding alleged GeForce RTX 50-series "price manipulation" practices. In their latest bit of company coverage, the publication concedes that ASUS representatives are doing a better job in communicating launch day circumstances to its target audience. In contrast, other board partners have (reportedly) not reached out to the hardware gaming community.

The ASUS_MKTLeeM account has produced a useful "Day 1 Pricing and Availability in US and CA" buying guide for TUF Gaming GeForce RTX 5070 OC Edition ($739.99 USD) and ASUS Prime GeForce RTX 5070 models (standard: $549.99, OC: $699.99). The company rep disclosed the outlook for this opening salvo: "we expect that most, if not all of these will be available at 6am PST for the US. Of course, things happen sometimes; and a particular e-tailer or retailer may have a website issue or may be pending for stock to reach them. Feel free to ask later in the day and we can track this down...For Canada, I do not have confirmation on which stores will have Day 1 stock at this time, unfortunately. If I receive confirmation before the end of the day I will update it." They noted that Best Buy Canada may experience delayed shipments (1-3 weeks) of TUF Gaming RTX 5070 OC Edition stock. Unfortunately, higher-end options are not releasing alongside "cheaper" brethren parts—MKTLeeM stated: "the ROG Strix cards will not be available Day 1. There is currently no ETA for when these cards will be available, but we will update the post and/or the availability post in the comments when we have an update." Press outlets have highlighted the apparent limited range of ASUS launch day models. Interestingly, the TUF Gaming RTX 5070 (non-OC) option was not included in MKTLeeM's subreddit thread.

The Chiphell forum has provided a steady flow of AMD RDNA 4-related leaks—going back to early December; members believed that "Radeon RX 8800 XT" GPUs were imminently entering into a mass production phase. Since then, Team Red and board partners have officially revealed a full deck of Radeon RX 9070 XT and RX 9070 models—complete with a "modernized" naming scheme. By Christmas (2024), insiders appeared to have working units in their clutches—denizens of Chiphell have continued to dole out pre-release info; even deep into launch week. UNIKO's Hardware picked up on the latest signals; with owners of unnamed custom Radeon RX 9070 XT cards: "calling out bad cooling on GDDR6 VRAM."

As highlighted by Wccftech, NDA-busting disclosures have alluded to commendable GPU thermal measurements—when driven at full load—but several leakers have noted less than stellar results from VRAM temperature readings. Chiphell-sourced GPU-Z screenshots indicate a maximum recorded VRAM temperature of 94℃, with the involved GPU's hotspot hitting a top temp of 79°C. This leaked candidate seems to be a 329 W TBP-rated model. Wccftech observed inconsistencies with the other evaluated sample: "under full load, the GPU temperature at the hot spot reaches a max of 63°C but the memory temperature touches 88°C. The surprising thing to note in the first case is that the TBP is only 237 W, which seems weird considering the Radeon RX 9070 XT (reference spec) starts at a TBP of 260 W. This might be a bug...The user has confirmed that the first one isn't the RX 9070 as one would think, but it is the RX 9070 XT as well." The "guided" upper limit for newer VRAM standards is 95°C, so one of the anonymous custom cards is dancing dangerously in close proximity to the proverbial flame. Certain hardware news outlets reckon that GDDR6X memory will succumb to damage once a 120°C ceiling is hit. Hopefully, these issues are limited to a handful of review samples—a couple of AMD's trusted board partners have opted for Honeywell PTM7950 thermal pads and robust heatpipe formations. Stay tuned to TechPowerUp for W1zzard's incoming RDNA 4-related verdicts.

Last week, AMD teased an upcoming launch of Radeon RX 9060 Series graphics cards. A Q2 2025 release window was mentioned at the tail end of their special RDNA 4 conference event, held in Beijing on February 28. TechPowerUp's GPU database has listed a mysterious Radeon RX 9060 XT 12 GB model for the past month (or two); this entry was updated with new information last week. Speculative points of interest include a "Navi 48 LE" GPU variant, GDDR6 memory (with an 128-bit interface), and 150 W TDP rating. Since then, leakers have proposed various Radeon RX 9060-class configurations and generated theories about performance. In search of concrete evidence, harukaze5719 turned to a trusty source of pre-launch info: EEC registries.

Earlier today, the South Korean PC hardware enthusiast discovered freshly-lodged Acer model names and codes. Easily identifiable unannounced SKUs include the Predator BiFrost RX 9060 XT OC 16 GB and RX 9060 XT OC 8 GB cards. Various "AN-RX9060XT-XXX-OCC" and "PB-RX9060XT-XXX-OCC" identifiers suggest a well-populated lineup of "Acer Nitro" and "Predator BiFrost" budget-friendly options. The Taiwanese manufacturer has already launched related Radeon RX 9070 XT and RX 9070 models at retail. According to the VideoCardz insider network, Team Red and board partners are tipped to release the cheaper end of RDNA 4 in April. The Radeon RX 9060 Series could launch within the same timeframe as rumored 16 GB and 8 GB GeForce RTX 5060 variants.

Inet AB—one of the largest Swedish e-tail stores—has alerted its customer base with foreboding information. NVIDIA and its board partners are expected to launch GeForce RTX 5070 graphics cards tomorrow (March 5)—reviews have started to trickle out; including TechPowerUp's freshly-published evaluation of the Founders Edition. According to the Scandinavian shop's blog, they anticipate major supply problems: "unfortunately it looks like we won't be able to release the cards then. This is simply because we don't seem to be getting any cards in stock. Just like with other models in the RTX 50 series, we will release new cards one by one as they land in stock, and only make a fuss in cases where we might receive large deliveries." A week and a half ago, supply chain insiders alluded to significant problems that have reportedly affected GeForce RTX 5070 and RTX 5060 production pipelines.

Like many other global PC hardware retail outlets involved in the sale of "Blackwell" GPUs, Inet has offered helpful guidelines in anticipation of limited shipments: "we hope to start releasing cards and (pre-built) computers with GeForce RTX 5070 in the coming weeks. If you want to buy RTX 5070, we recommend that you keep an eye on inet.se and use 'Notify me' on each product page, then you will receive an email when we release them for order. Keep in mind, however, that many people use this function, so the cards may run out quickly after the email goes out." VideoCardz and Australia's Hardware Unboxed have both predicted a grand battle between GeForce RTX 5070 and Radeon RX 9070 XT cards. Team Green tends to stick to its intended release schedules—according to industry watchdogs—even in the face of mounting problems. The tides could be turning again; recent events have allegedly pushed the global launch of GeForce RTX 5060 cards into April.

XFX appears to be lining up separate tranches of Radeon RX 9070 Series graphics cards for different markets; Chinese media outlets have reported a wide-spanning lineup of "domestic" and "overseas" edition SKUs. VideoCardz has spotted another potential China-exclusive model—their past weekend investigative piece put the spotlight on a Radeon RX 9070 XT dual-fan SWIFT design. This variant was found on XFX's Tmall e-tail store. The manufacturer's Chinese language official site does not list this curiosity, and recent press material has focused on a lineup of triple-fan cooled solutions. XFX's Western web presences do not allude to any twin-fan variants within the MERCURY, QUICKSILVER, or SWIFT classes.

AMD's recent full-fledged introduction of RDNA 4 included promotional renders of reference card designs, but the launch of Radeon RX 9070 XT and RX 9070 involves an entirely board partner-manufactured pool of SKUs. The XFX Radeon RX 9070 XT SWIFT dual-fan model is priced exactly at the level of Team Red's regional guide MSRP: 4999 RMB (including VAT). It likely serves as a direct alternative to an absent AMD-built dual-fan reference card. According to a comparative table of XFX model specifications (see below), the dual-fan variant shares identical data points—excluding physical measurements—with its longer siblings.

Over the past weekend, PC hardware news outlets spent time analyzing NVIDIA GeForce RTX 50-series price fluctuations. One keen market watcher—VideoCardz—has consistently stuck to a main theory of Team Green AIBs implementing last minute price hikes/market manipulations; coinciding with product launch periods. Almost two weeks ago, the online publication directed ire at ASUS and MSI—noted as very high profile board partners. The current GeForce RTX 5070 Ti graphics card lineup is populated by custom designs only; a Founders Edition was not made available within this tier. VideoCardz and Hardware & Co. have observed worrying price trends with AIB-produced models that are supposed to conform to NVIDIA's baseline MSRP of $749 (USD). Their latest reports singled out MSI's North American webstore—already a source of some contention.

Hardware & Co. (a French outlet) observed movement at the bottom-end of the manufacturer's "Blackwell" GPU lineup: "in the case of the GeForce RTX 5070 Ti launched on February 20, 2025, it took nine days...for a "big" brand to officially turn its back on NVIDIA MSRP. On Saturday (March 1), MSI has just updated its RTX 50-series catalog on its official American website with new prices for the RTX 5070 Ti. From now on, the cheapest reference is $820, $70 more than MSRP." VideoCardz is steadfast in its belief that GeForce RTX 50-series "MSRPs are a joke" at this point in time. MSI's VENTUS 3X and (newer) SHADOW 3X models are barebones packages that are designed as alternatives to basic first-party solutions (i.e. Founders Editions)—but VideoCardz has accused the manufacturer of becoming its own "scalper," with (apparently) little intervention coming from NVIDIA. At the time of writing, MSI's US webstore has updated its GeForce RTX 5070 Ti VENTUS and SHADOW listings. Prices have (temporarily?) reverted to original figures (refer to the third screenshot below); likely in reaction to recent "constructive" criticism levied by popular hardware news sites. As evidenced by a sea of "notify me" tags, the official North American store appears to have zero stock in their warehouse(s).

Late last week, ASRock introduced its opening wave of Radeon RX 9070 XT and RX 9070 graphics card models; in Taichi, Steel Legend and Challenger guises. Official press material only alluded to an intriguing "gray" spin-off of the Taiwanese manufacturer's (traditionally) white-hued mid-tier product family. ASRock's brand-new Radeon RX 9070 XT Steel Legend Dark 16 GB model is listed on their website, but it has received little fanfare since February 28. Appropriately, this "Dark" variant rolls out with the familiar Steel Legend shroud and backplate designs—albeit, with a two-tone (black/gray) aesthetic.

As expected, the ASRock Radeon RX 9070 XT Steel Legend Dark card shares identical specifications with its standard white sibling—in both cases, we are looking at non-overclocked SKUs. The AMD board partner has not prepared a non-XT Steel Legend Dark card for launch (on March 6), but an expanded lineup could emerge in the near future. ASRock graphics card enthusiasts have noted a mildly disappointing absence of RDNA 4-based Phantom Gaming options—past Radeon product generations have hit global markets with this sub-brand. Looking at a typical past example—ASRock's Radeon RX 7800 XT Phantom Gaming OC card—we see a gray/black design with a smattering of RGB lighting zones. We could surmise that ASRock has created a similar-ish modernized equivalent—in the shape of Steel Legend Dark (non-OC)—to fill a (temporary?) Phantom Gaming-sized gap.

GALAX's Hall of Fame (HOF) graphics card family has welcomed another addition; their newest custom offerings house NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti (GB203) GPUs. TechPowerUp's W1zzard reviewed a lower-end sibling card—GALAX's "1-Click OC White" model—that is provisioned to conform to Team Green's baseline MSRP ($750). By contrast, the freshly introduced GeForce RTX 5070 Ti HOF OC LAB Deluxe and Deluxe-X variants are expected to arrive at retail with significant premium upcharges—these are true flagships; featuring pre-binned GPU dies and high-end components. GALAX introduced its fancily-named GeForce RTX 5080 HOF OC LAB Plus-X model earlier last month, but hardcore enthusiasts will have to wait longer for an RTX 5090D-based sibling.

The GALAX GeForce RTX 5070 Ti HOF OC LAB Deluxe models are tipped to become world record breakers, due to their over-engineered makeup—prepped with a 14+6+6 phase power design. Quite fittingly, a signature (detachable) crown formation adorns several "Hall of Fame" shrouds—a similarly shaped cutout is present on HOF I/O brackets. VideoCardz believes that only two GeForce RTX 5070 Ti "Hall of Fame" SKUs will be released, instead of the expected four. Normally, GALAX introduces options that do not include their garish RGB-lit crown attachment. The publication noted a mere 30 MHz difference between Deluxe and Deluxe-X SKUs overclocked frequencies: 2580 MHz and 2610 MHz (respectively). Spec sheets reveal many shared traits; including gaming clocks of 2512 MHz, 300 W TGP (max. 350 W), and GB203 GPU. Visual analysis—of the bare HOF board—points to the utilization of Team Green's GB203-400 variant. VideoCardz reckons that the GALAX engineering team will be re-deploying the GeForce RTX 5080 HOF's PCB design, complete with 26 phase power design. The China-based AIB has not revealed price points for its two incoming GeForce RTX 5070 Ti HOF OC LAB Deluxe cards, but industry watchdogs anticipate costs going beyond $1000.

XFX is introducing a wide selection of Radeon RX 9070 XT and RX 9070 SKUs at launch (March 6), with updated naming schemes and new shroud/backplate designs. Chinese press outlets were invited to inspect the manufacturer's brand-new offerings post-conclusion of AMD's regional introductory event for RDNA 4. Expreview gathered five samples (from a total of ten reported launch units) for their recent article—local nomenclature is highly confusing (e.g. "Phoenix Nirvana"), so we will be using XFX's Western terminology. Unlike other board partners, the company has not released a comprehensive press release for its new product families (at the time of writing). Over the past weekend, VideoCardz highlighted the QUICKSILVER Radeon RX 9070 XT model. They reckon that this a special "Esport" edition, but the situation is unclear—their report repeatedly mentions new Radeon RX 7900 XT cards.

TechPowerUp returned to official sources, in order to get clarification regarding the new "red and black" QUICKSILVER design. According to a sparse XFX Radeon RX 9000 series splash page: "Customizable Shroud—the RX 9000 Series QUICKSILVER Class GPUs features customizable magnetic wings which can be easily removed and replaced to match your style and needs. Details coming soon!" We hope that an upcoming official PR piece will provide a clear rundown of SKUs and feature sets. Expreview took a look at two "Overseas Edition" QUICKSILVER RX 9070 series graphics cards; in XT and non-XT forms. They noted the presence of XFX's signature "Magnetic Air" modular fan system, as well as optional shroud pieces. Their detailed description stated: "the upper and lower sides of the graphics card radiator have detachable magnetic inscriptions and phantom wings, which are inspired by sports cars and support personalized customization, and the logo can be changed at will. It uses three 10 cm ring-blade fans, and the radiator is equipped with five 6 mm heat pipes, a metal backplate and a hidden bracket to reduce PCB deformation." Chinese market pricing for the XFX QUICKSILVER Radeon RX 9070 XT card is reported as 5799 RMB (including VAT)—AMD set a regional baseline MSRP of 4999 RMB (~$686 USD) last week.

News outlets have provided detailed coverage of NVIDIA's rocky launch of GeForce RTX 50-series graphics card over the past month, but the latest major problem was documented late last week. In the interim, TechPowerUp's original article has been updated six times (at the time of writing)—demonstrating the fluid nature of this sorry situation. Team Green and involved board partners—are now—acutely aware of the "missing ROPs" controversy, following an absorption of strong backlashes from frustrated owners and the larger PC gaming hardware community. Thanks to a reader's tip-off, VideoCardz has highlighted a system integrator's compelling new initiative—very likely put in place in order to avoid customer dissatisfaction.

The aforementioned VideoCardz audience member spotted an interesting new tag on CyberPowerPC's system builder webpage. The PC pre-build specialist company stated that it: "will ensure all systems equipped with GeForce RTX 5090, 5080, and 5070 Ti video cards have the correct number of ROPs before shipping". CyberPowerPC QA staffers are likely utilizing version 2.64.0 of TechPowerUp's GPU-Z tool to check for unwanted anomalies—a simple and very quick process. Industry experts believe that system integrators are taking matters into their own hands, thus avoiding complicated and time-sapping processing of RMAs. The so-called "ROPGate" scandal is expected to last for a while.

International corporate entities have to deal with global time differences; causing uncountable logistical headaches. As evidenced by local reports; AMD and board partner representatives decided to debut their next-gen Radeon RX 9070 Series in front of a (mostly) Chinese audience. The much earlier than anticipated presentation took place well in advance of the "main event," with Jack Huynh and other Team Red big brass showcasing brand-new products to regional distributors and media outlets. VideoCardz believes that this "surprise" press mini-junket occurred—roughly—twelve hours ahead of the officially scheduled international "special broacast."

Baseline price points—VAT included—of 4999 RMB (~$686 USD) and 4499 RMB (~$617 USD) were announced, for the incoming Radeon RX 9070 XT and RX 9070 models (respectively). We now know that North American MSRPs (excluding tax) are $599 and $549 (respectively). AMD's presentation slides included more shots of their reference designs (MBA), in triple or dual-fan configurations. Earlier in the week, industry watchdogs proposed that the Radeon RX 9070 Series would launch with an all-custom card lineup; with no AMD-built options. Attendees noted several on-stage board partner company reps, including Jack Yu (ASUS China). ASRock, GIGABYTE, PowerColor, VASTARMOR, XFX and Yeston were the other participants; with demonstration hardware in their hands.