AMD Partner Brands Quietly Raise Radeon RX 9070 Series Prices; Base Models Now Up to $130 More Expensive

Despite AMD’s commitment to keep the prices of its RDNA 4 GPUs within the Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price (MSRP), the company’s board partners are now free to set higher rates, which has led to an increase in costs across the board.

Heightened Prices for RX 9070 Series: A Closer Look

In a recent statement, AMD affirmed that it would not raise prices for the RX 9070 series, contrary to previous reports suggesting post-launch price hikes for the RX 9070 XT and RX 9070 models. Instead, AMD pledged to “encourage”MSRP adherence among its partners even after initial stock sold out.

The exact interpretation of “encouraging”MSRP pricing remains ambiguous, especially considering the prevailing pricing patterns observed in the RDNA 4 GPU lineup. Retailers rapidly escalated their prices within just a week, listing several models at significantly higher rates compared to their launch prices. While not every model is affected uniformly, sources like The Verge have noted substantial increases across multiple retail channels.

This pricing trend is not limited to premium models; even the baseline RX 9070 variants have been subject to price inflation. It’s also worth mentioning that AMD chose not to release its reference design for either of the new cards, leaving the market presence entirely to its board partners, despite having developed some reference designs.

Traditionally, one might expect overclocked or premium models to command a premium over MSRP. However, many of AMD’s AIB partners have quietly adjusted their pricing for these models, diminishing their attractiveness when compared to the competing RTX 5070 series. To illustrate, PowerColor’s RX 9070 XT Reaper series, initially priced at $599 on Newegg, has surged to $699. A similar price increase is noted for the Sapphire Pulse edition and others available through retailers like Overclockers UK.

In another notable example, the XFX RX 9070 XT Swift has seen its price escalate to an impressive $730—a nearly 21% increase. This brings it perilously close to the MSRP of the RTX 5070 Ti, a card that, while only marginally better in rasterization, excels in ray tracing benchmarks. Currently, the only RX 9070 model listed below $700 is the ASRock Steel Legend at $669, whereas the more premium variants like the Red Devil and XFX Mercury are easily approaching $800. These price hikes have occurred even as stock shortages persist across many retailers.

According to various retailers, the RX 9070 series has experienced price increases of up to $130 at Micro Center and a minimum of $50 at places like Overclockers UK. This discrepancy clearly underlines that while AMD promotes MSRP, its partner companies are operating with greater pricing flexibility.

For more information, visit The Verge.

Source & Images: Wccftech