total on Lisa . you’re able to do it . AMD
There have been a act of inflection points in the microcomputer component distance over the past couple of decades . Nvidia taking a dominant situation in the GPU marketplace in the former 2000s , AMD ’s Ryzen processorshailing a payoff to straight competition in the central processor space , orApple upending the laptop dynamicwith its M chips . And now it feels like we might be on the leaflet of another , with the impendent launch of AMD ’s RX 9000 series graphics card .
Not becausethey’re break down to blow the door off on carrying into action , or present young features that we have n’t seen before . Indeed , if they can just match Nvidia ’s RTX 5070 and 5070 Ti with their own frame generation technical school , I cerebrate we ’d all be happy enough .
Come on Lisa. You can do it.AMD
It allcomes down to pricingand availability .
The emperor isn’t wearing any clothes
Nvidia is the undisputed rule of the consumer graphics wit space . And a major dowery of the professional GPU blank . Andone of the orotund manufacturers of AI ironware in the world . It ’s one of the domain ’s fat companies for a reason . But when it come to graphics cards for gamers , its look at its foot off the gas . A mass .
The last three multiplication of graphics card have been impressive , remove generous leaps in rasterization functioning , improving raytracing and upscaling gen over gen . But this has come at massively increasing superpower requirement , and withthe RTX 5080and5090 , there was n’t eventhat muchof a return for it . Beyond thaw power connexion , that is .
There ’s also an ever great reliance on upscaling to deliver the sort of performance jumps people expect . But that ’s just lead to Nvidia leaning more heavy into hyperbole in its marketing , further skew expected value . Stock shortages have drive up prices on the late raw Nvidia GPUs to rightfully ridiculous heights , further foreground Nvidia ’s deficiency of involvement in putting gamers first .
There ’s an argument to be made from a embodied fiscal perspective , that play just is n’t a major earner for Nvidia compared to its other ventures — it accounted forless than 10 % of its gross in Q3 2024 . But that does n’t make the situation any better for stake fans who need bragging generational improvement : Nvidia just is n’t delivering them .
If AMD ca n’t do that either , it could at least make what is useable more low-priced .
AMD’s shot
AMD has a actual chance with its RX 9000 series to truly offer something economic value oriented . It flatly ruled out competing at the top end for this propagation of graphics cards , which is n’t the end of the mankind when very few people purchase XX90 - series grade GPUs anyway , even if it is a shame — the plug around the 6000 - series “ Big Navi ” reveal was very exciting .
So it ’s concenter on the mid - mountain chain . The card that most gamers actually buy . And we ’re convey a feeling at them in just a few twenty-four hour period , with them remove store ledge a week or so later . first moment of carrying into action have been revised down in recent calendar week , prompting many to just desire they can keep up with the unexampled RX 50 series and wo n’t be too outplay by theirown last - generation flagship wag .
But as with almost everything in the personal computer component space , it all comes down to Leontyne Price . Nvidia ’s cards are n’t just expensive at their suggested price , they’re much non - existent . The 5070 Ti and 5070 are likely to go the same mode , even if stock numbers pool are gamy . Nvidia GPUs are pop among gamers , and that means they ’re even more popular among scalpers .
AMD ’s card wo n’t be immune to that , but it can bilk it . If cost are low and inventory is high enough , AMD can give gamers an affordable , sensitive upgrade with most of the feature offered by the Nvidia competition . Even if the 9070 and 9070 XT do n’t bluster the door off in performance , that would be enough .
The delay better be worth it
AMD ceded a lot of primer coat to Nvidia with this genesis of nontextual matter cards by not die hard with its CES debut . Nvidia garner incredible press and gamer attention with its over the top claims about what the 50 - series can do , and its multiple frame generation technology is passing impressive in the proper scenario . DLSS 4 ’s young transformer upscalingis excellent , and the day one support for it was just as impressive . If you could actually get your hands on an RTX 5080 or 5090 , you ’re going to have a keen time — even if you probably give a lot for the privilege .
But AMD may have given itself the chance it needs by taking that time . That extra mates of months may have allow it to carry cards so that when they do go on cut-rate sale , masses who want one can actually get them . Just having enough at a fair price will even get around most of the problems of scalpers , too . If you know an RX 9070 is going to be uncommitted at $ 450 or there abouts , why would you buy from a scalper ?
Red tinted glasses
This is probably all wishful thinking . AMD has had moments like this in the yesteryear with its graphics cards . We all hoped that the 6000 series would finally put up a believable performance option to Nvidia , and it did n’t quite manage it . We hoped that the RX 7000 - serial publication would be more efficient and more affordable than Nvidia , by enough to count . It only sort of did .
It ’s also clear that AMD is taking the opportunity with its mainframe dominance against Intel to cement higher price , rather than continue to be the feisty underdog on pricing and performance at the same time . AMDdoesn’t exactly make a tonne of money off of its gambling divisionsthese days either .
But I hold out hope . As Nvidia becomes ever - more an AI and datacenter - first company , gamers need someone reach ironware for it that do them a precedency . Someone that considers what most gamers want and involve : affordable , sensible upgrade opportunities so they can retain to bask the best PC gaming has to offer .
If AMD misses its stroke here and just gives us another $ 500 + graphic carte du jour that sell out super fast , that ’d be a real ignominy — andsome of us expect that ’ll come to pass . In that case , I might start to pin my hope on Intel expanding its future oblation to give us more 1440p - tier graphics card options .
But there ’s still a fortune AMD pulls this off . Here ’s hop .
