In a conversation with reporters, AMD top managers David McAfee and Frank Azor explained why the company decided to abandon the previous naming scheme for Radeon graphics cards, which it built over three generations of Navi GPUs, starting with the Radeon series RX 5000. In addition, AMD representatives actually confirmed that the company has decided to abandon competition with Nvidia in the video card segment for enthusiasts.
Image Source: AMD
AMD representatives, in a conversation with journalists, explained the decision to skip the RX 8000 series of desktop video cards by saying that in this way the company wants to bring the model numbering of its gaming accelerators in line with desktop processors, that is, Ryzen 9000.
David McAfee and Frank Azor also explained why the company decided to move away from the RX 9700 XT to the RX 9070 XT. The rumors turned out to be true: in this way, AMD wanted to make it easier for gamers to identify competitive video card models, namely, solutions from Nvidia. Now gamers will compare the Radeon RX 9070 XT with the GeForce RTX 5070 or RTX 5070 Ti, and the upcoming Radeon RX 9060 XT with the GeForce RTX 5060 Ti or RTX 5060.
Journalists also asked whether AMD plans to maintain the new naming scheme for its video cards with the release of subsequent generations of accelerators or is it going to change everything again. Ultimately, Navi GPUs have reached the “9000” series, so the successor to the Radeon RX 9070 XT will have to be called the Radeon RX 10070. AMD representatives said that they cannot stick to one naming scheme forever and that the company regularly evaluates the market and consumer behavior , and then implements what works best.
AMD representatives explained the refusal to compete in the segment of video cards for enthusiasts by the company’s desire to focus on segments that bring in more money. The bulk of consumers are focused on video cards in the mid-price segment, that is, the xx70 and xx60 series (for example, RTX 4070 and RTX 4060), so AMD decided to save resources by focusing only on the winning segments. The company doesn’t have to prove its ability to make GPUs for enthusiasts. AMD believes that this is simply not what the market needs. The company wants to make a lot of graphics cards in key segments of the market that produce the bulk of gaming graphics cards, and then try to win those segments with products that deliver more performance per dollar and better efficiency.
AMD also praised Intel for its successful release of the Arc B580 (Battlemage) graphics card, which has managed to win praise from both the press and gamers (the cards are selling like hotcakes) as it is a truly well-designed product for $250. As AMD noted, “It’s a testament to the fact that if you offer features and performance at a value-for-money price point, it will really resonate with consumers.”
It looks like AMD’s strategy for further development of its gaming graphics card business will be much similar to Intel’s – the company wants to impress the largest segments of the market with high-performance, yet more affordable products. Let us remember that AMD video cards of the previous generation were both praised and criticized. In the Radeon RX 7000 series of video cards, there are a couple of successful products that have gained great popularity: Radeon RX 7800 XT and RX 7900 GRE. With the new generation of video cards, the company will try to repeat what its previous accelerators were praised for.