New sources claim that AMD’s RDNA 4-based graphics cards, originally rumored to be launching at the end of 2024, are behind schedule and now expected to launch in 2025.
The news doesn’t come completely out of nowhere. We previously reported on hardware leaker Kepler’s claim that AMD would not release their RDNA 4-based GPUs until CES 2025. But conflicting rumors suggested a late 2024 release.
More interesting than the news itself are the alleged reasons for the delay. Moore’s Law is Dead revealed in a recent YouTube video exclusively from a reliable source that the RDNA 4 line of GPUs is delayed because AMD is struggling to shift its top-end RDNA 3-based GPUs, in particular those built around the Navi 31, like the RX 7900 and RX 7900 XTX.
The AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX, built on Navi 31 architecture (Image credit: Future)
Reports suggest AMD’s RDNA 4 focuses on delivering value for money, strong performance, and energy efficiency, keeping its sights firmly on the mid-range market. Nvidia, on the other hand, remains focused on its next-gen RTX 5000 series, opting to prioritize high-performance instead.
The RDNA 4 GPUs consist of the Navi 44 and 48 and will also focus on improved raytracing; they’ll have better clock speeds, GDDR6 memory, and AMD’s infinity cache. It’s said that they will offer a 10-30% performance improvement over the RDNA 3-based cards.
It’s not surprising, then, that the top-range RDNA 3-based models aren’t selling so well. Some customers may be waiting for the next-gen cards that will improve on performance at a lower price point. Others may even overlook the RDNA 4 models in anticipation for AMD’s already-in-development RDNA 5 GPUs, which are set to potentially feature more high-end models, and according to wccftech, “will be built on a completely different architecture”.
Given these reports, it seems wise for AMD to delay the launch – if there were ever plans for a late 2024 launch – to shift the remaining RDNA 3 stocks. Moore’s Law is Dead’s source also mentioned that AMD’s mid-range RDNA 3s were selling fine. The issue of low sales is only affecting its top tier range.
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So it appears to remain true that AMD will first debut its flagship Navi 48 at CES 2025, with the Navi 44 still having its launch somewhere in Q2 of 2025.
As it stands, 2025 now looks like the year AMD’s RDNA 4 GPUs will finally hit the market.
