‘Don’t despair’: AMD promises more Radeon RX 9070 XT and RX 9070 at recommended prices

Reviewers agree that the Radeon RX 9070 XT and RX 9070 graphics cards, with recommended prices of $599 and $549, respectively, look more attractive than their competitors. In the US, as well as around the world, some versions of the cards actually went on sale at the recommended price. However, such offers were quickly sold out. The Verge contacted AMD for comments and found out the current situation with supplies and pricing for the new Radeon cards.

Image Source: AMD

An assessment of the inventory of the largest US stores Best Buy and Newegg by The Verge showed that only one version of the graphics card models with the manufacturer’s recommended price (MSRP) was available for sale, which, of course, was already sold out. Most of the other offers are priced at $100 or more than the MSRP. Another popular US retailer, Micro Center, was doing much better. The store listed five versions of the RX 9070 and RX 9070 XT with recommended prices. The retailer’s website indicates that the cards are still available. However, to purchase them, you will have to personally visit one of the company’s 28 stores in the US.

Historically, AMD and Nvidia partners have released very different versions of the same model within each new generation of graphics cards. The most basic solutions were usually released with a recommended price from AMD or Nvidia themselves. Other, more premium versions, equipped with more efficient cooling systems and having additional factory overclocking of GPUs, were usually always offered at a higher price from the very start of sales. This time, retailers confirm that even the most basic versions of certain card models will not be offered at the lowest (recommended) prices for long. This was also observed during the launch of the GeForce RTX 50-series graphics cards, when the cheapest versions of a particular model quickly increased in price after the start of sales.

«We have found out how the recommended retail prices, also known as manufacturer’s suggested retail prices, work at the launch of AMD Radeon RX 9070 and RX 9070 XT graphics cards. They only apply to a limited number of cards,” the Swedish retailer Inet.se was quoted as saying by the VideoCardz portal.

«”The recommended retail price is limited to a few hundred cards, so prices will jump once those cards sell out,” UK retailer Overclockers UK confirmed in a statement.

As The Verge reports, even Best Buy in the US seemed to assume that the $549/$599 prices were just temporary. The retailer described the suggested retail price offers as if the cards were on sale, though the company has since removed the “save $80” and “save $130” footnotes seen in the screenshot below. According to AMD, Best Buy’s listings were a mistake.

Cards with suggested retail price. Image source: Best Buy

The Verge reached out to AMD with three questions. The publication asked whether AMD could confirm or deny the retailers’ claim that the best prices on the most affordable cards are being capped in this way. The Verge also asked whether the company could confirm or deny the information that only a small portion of RX 9070 and RX 9070 XT cards will be offered at their advertised MSRP. Finally, The Verge wanted to know whether AMD allowed board partners or retailers to raise their prices above MSRP after a certain number of cards or shipments of those cards had been sold.

AMD has neither confirmed nor denied these claims. However, the company did address the broader issue of availability of the cards at the recommended price, according to Frank Azor, AMD’s head of gaming.

«Reports that the $549/$599 MSRP is just the launch price are incorrect. We expect the cards to be available from multiple vendors at $549/$599 (excluding regional rates and/or taxes) thanks to the work we have done with our AIB partners. There will be more of them. At the same time, AIB partners also offer various premium card configurations at higher prices. And this will continue to happen,” Azor said.

On his social media page X, Azor said that AMD is working to replenish stock of the cards “in the coming days and weeks.” He added that “recommended prices (excluding regional duties and/or taxes) will remain attractive after today,” so buyers “should not despair.”