Sapphire introduced two brand-new NITRO+ models prior to the official launch of AMD's RDNA 4 graphics card generation. The manufacturer rolled out its flagship Radeon RX 9070 XT card on day one—March 6—but the "lesser" NITRO+ sibling was absent at retail. Late last week, ITHome revealed that Sapphire had finally got round to globally releasing their NITRO+ Radeon RX 9070 16 GB SKU. At the time of writing, Overclockers UK seems to have cards in stock—priced at £629.99 (including VAT). Unsurprisingly, the freshly launched NITRO+ Radeon RX 9070 model utilizes the exact same shroud and backplate design that is present on Sapphire's range-topper.

The latest entry retains all of the more expensive unit's mod cons—including a Quick Connect MagniPlate feature, STEALTH hidden power cable, 12V-2x6 (H++) external power connector, Tri-X cooling technology, optimized composite heatpipes, and Honeywell PTM7950 TIM. Major differences are disclosed in Sapphire's "engine clock" specs: "boost clock up to 2700 MHz" and "game clock up to 2210 MHz." The Hong Kong-based company has not officially commented on circumstances that led to the delay of its NITRO+ Radeon RX 9070 graphics card. VideoCardz has dismissed claims about this particular model being postponed due to rumors of a displacement by forthcoming Radeon RX 9070 GRE 12 GB options.

Sapphire has quietly expanded its existing Radeon RX 9070 Series lineup with two new additions: PULSE METAL ALLOY Radeon RX 9070 XT and RX 9070. According to VideoCardz, the manufacturer's Chinese website was updated with new product listings at some point last week. Sapphire's regional branch has not issued any fresh press material, regarding an official launch of these gray-shaded options. Sapphire's graphics card team has seemingly refreshed their standard black PULSE (RDNA 4 generation) triple and dual-fan shroud and backplate designs with new metallic tones and finishes. Fancier enclosures will not arrive alongside bump-up in specs—as mentioned in freshly-published official product pages, company engineers have stuck with AMD's reference figures for the Radeon RX 9070 XT and RX 9070. VideoCardz reckons that the PURE METAL ALLOY cards will debut in China; possibly as starting off as exclusives. Currently, the manufacturer's various global online presences only list the readily available black PULSE cards. Interestingly, the white PURE series shares the same overall (triple-fan) shroud and backplate setup—Sapphire's pale-shaded offerings feature very mild overclocks over "baseline MSRP" configurations. Chinese market pricing—for the two PULSE METAL ALLOY SKUs—was not available at the time of publication.

AMD is readying a new line of professional graphics cards based on its latest RDNA 4 graphics architecture. The company has assigned the silicon variant "Navi 48 XTW" to power its next flagship pro-vis product, which will likely be branded under the Radeon PRO W9000 series. According to the source of this leak, the card comes with 32 GB of memory, which is probably ECC GDDR6, across the chip's 256-bit wide memory bus. The product should offer the same core-configuration as the Radeon RX 9070 XT gaming GPU, with 64 compute units worth 4,096 stream processors, 128 AI accelerators, 64 RT accelerators, 256 TMUs, and 128 ROPs.

Besides professional visualization, AMD could target the AI acceleration crowd. The company is hosting the "Advancing AI" press event in June, where it is widely expected to announce its next-generation AI GPUs and updates to ROCm. It could also use the occasion to unveil the Radeon PRO W9000 series product, promoting them to the AI acceleration crowd.

Around RDNA 4's launch period, ASRock's web presences listed an intriguing Radeon RX 9070 XT Steel Legend Dark 16 GB model—seemingly not mentioned in official introductory press material. As covered on TechPowerUp earlier this month, this unusual darkened spin-off of the "traditional white" Steel Legend design received little fanfare—the obvious reason being that gray/black stock was not readied for AMD's March 6 rollout to market. Over the past weekend, VideoCardz put an investigative spotlight on a Hermitage AkiHabara/GDM Japan press release. It turns out that ASRock's Radeon RX 9070 XT Steel Legend Dark SKU will become available early next month, starting with the Japanese "domestic market."

The manufacturer's global website was not updated with a similar PR item, so an international/widespread launch is likely planned for a later date. The "expected market price" upon release is 133,800 yen (including tax), which converts to roughly US$891. Industry watchdogs believe that the Dark variant will roll out "globally" with the exact same price tag as the already launched pale sibling. The Taiwanese brand did not introduce a Radeon RX 9070 (non-XT) Steel Legend Dark overclocked model, to exist alongside their white-hued RX 9070 Steel Legend OC offering. The wallet-friendlier triple-fan ASRock RX 9070 Challenger SKU—in black, with a splash of ARGB—is their only other Navi 48 XT GPU-based option.

Around late January, out-of-date AMD marketing material teased the existence of a Radeon RX 9070 series reference card design. Almost a month later, PC hardware news outlets picked up on an official signal about Team Red's launch lineup consisting entirely of board partner-produced options. First-party enthusiasts were disappointed by the apparent total lack of "Made by AMD" (MBA) solutions, but some unusual specimens appeared online roughly two weeks post-RDNA 4's launch. Reports pointed to triple-fan Radeon RX 9070 XT and dual-fan RX 9070 MBA cards being exchanged for cash via Chinese black market channels. Photographed examples seemed to sport a somewhat muted black shroud design—not quite as exciting when compared to AMD's marketed/rendered brushed metal effect promo units.

Members of the Chiphell forum have spent months leaking many aspects of Team Red's foray into a new generation of graphics architecture—going back to the days of old nomenclature: Radeon RX 8800 XT. Yesterday, one participant revealed their fresh purchase of a Radeon RX 9070 non-XT MBA card. They sold their old GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER 12 GB graphics card, in favor of Navi 48 GPU-based OEM hardware. The post focused mainly on photo uploads and screenshots, but a brief description stated: "purchased at original price (TPU note: presumably 4499 RMB), room temperature is 16 degrees Celsius. Dual fans on the front. The back panel has an AMD logo, but it's a sticker." As theorized by VideoCardz, AMD likely produced a limited number of pre-release "public" MBA cards. The publication reckons that partner companies have received a smattering of samples for evaluation or software development purposes. The presence of an old school Radeon logo (pre-RDNA era) is a head scratcher, given the unit's supposed first-party origin.

Coverage of Radeon RX 9070 XT and RX 9070 launch batches has mainly focused on Western market conditions, with little insight into goings-on in China. AMD and board partners held a special RDNA 4 kick-off event in Beijing at the end of February, roughly twelve hours in advance of their international presentation. According to VideoCardz, initial supplies of Yeston's Sakura and Sakura Atlantis graphics cards were snapped up quickly by regional customers. The Chinese AIB specializes in brightly-hued shroud and backplate designs, often decorated with "waifu" illustrations and miscellaneous cute graphics. Unfortunately, interested parties from abroad are limited to importing from local retail platforms.

Yeston's social media accounts have alerted potential customers to re-stocks and connected developments—their latest bulletin hints about an improved situation, following another swift depletion of refreshed stock: "hello everyone! Thank you for the support! We have received a lot of messages and would love to inform you now the supply is unstable, but we will restock every week. Please don't be frustrated if you didn't get it. The supply will become stable and continue to be available after April." Interestingly, this morning's message did not touch upon the controversial topic of price hikes. At launch, Yeston's latest Navi 48 GPU-based offerings conformed or floated just above Team Red baseline MSRP (including VAT)—4999 RMB (~$686 USD) for XT, 4499 RMB (~$617 USD) for non-XT—likely boosting demand around that time. Last week, AMD board partners in Japan expressed concerns about current supply constraints—GPU market share in that region had climbed to ~45%, due to the popularity of RX 9070 Series graphics cards. Team Red could lose ground if GPU allocation limitations continue.

"Second wave" ASUS price hikes were documented online over the past weekend; affecting air-cooled premium ROG Astral and mid-tier TUF Gaming GeForce RTX 5090 models. Looking at the company's North American webshop, visitors noticed a freshly adjusted price for the ROG Astral GeForce RTX 5090 32 GB OC Edition—going from a previous level of $3079.99 up to $3359.99. Curiously, the asking price of a liquid-cooled sibling was not adjusted—remaining at a "first wave" point of $3409.99. The "cheapest" model—TUF Gaming GeForce RTX 5090 (non-OC)—experienced a $460 (representing 20%) price hike, bringing total cost of ownership up to $2759.99. As a reminder, NVIDIA's baseline MSRP guideline was $1999—as announced at CES 2025—but ROG Astral and TUF Gaming designs demand a premium or two for fancier feature sets. VideoCardz has fervently explored worrying market trends in the recent past; several of NVIDIA's big board partner players have jacked up asking prices for GeForce RTX 50-series graphics cards. Availability of stock is still a major sore point for potential buyers, who were not able to secure launch day wares. Despite a driving up of costs, the ASUS US webstore has absolutely zero stock of GeForce RTX 5090 SKUs—at the time of writing.

In addition, VideoCardz and other PC hardware media outlets noted price hikes affecting the manufacturer's stable of recently launched AMD Radeon RX 9070 Series TUF Gaming and PRIME models. In the absence of AMD-built (MBA) reference card designs, board partners were tasked with the providing of baseline "MSRP" conformant custom cards. The ASUS PRIME Radeon RX 9070 XT OC and RX 9070 OC Editions were readied as $599 and $549 options (respectively). Weekend sleuthing work put the spotlight on newly adjusted price points of $719.99 and $659.99 (respectively)—representing further cases of plain 20% elevations over baseline. AMD's debut batch of RDNA 4 cards was met with unprecedented demand earlier on in March, but secondary/tertiary stock shipments face unclear market conditions—Team Red GPU enthusiasts have (similarly) voiced their collective displeasure about elevated prices at retail. Mid-way through last week, the PC hardware community heard about ASUS leadership considering a new pricing strategy. The company is reportedly accelerating its manufacturing exodus from China.

This month, we at AMD celebrate two significant milestones in the Radeon story. First, the 25th anniversary of Radeon, a journey that began in 2000 with the ATI Radeon DDR card. Back then, 32 MB of VRAM, a 143 MHz clocks, and 30M transistors were cutting-edge tools that sparked your early adventures. Today, those specs are a nostalgic memory, dwarfed by the leaps we've made together culminating in the 24 GB of memory, multi-GHz clocks, and nearly 60B transistors of RDNA 3 cards driving the immersive worlds you now explore. But we're not stopping there. We're proud to continue that innovation journey with the RDNA 4-based Radeon RX 9070 XT and Radeon RX 9070, available starting today. This is more than a new chapter for us, it's a promise to you, the gamers who fuel our passion. We know what matters when you choose your next GPU: raw performance to conquer your favorite titles, tech that's ready for tomorrow's blockbusters, and value that respects your investment. That's precisely what RDNA 4 delivers.

Our goal with RDNA 4 wasn't to chase an elite crown few can reach. Instead, we focused on you, the heart of gaming, crafting cards that bring exceptional power to the setups most of you run. Compared to our last gen, RDNA 4 boosts raster performance for crisper, smoother visuals. Ray tracing throughput doubles, letting you soak in lifelike lighting and reflections without compromise. And with an 8x uplift in machine learning performance, we're unlocking new possibilities - like FSR 4, our latest leap in ML-based upscaling.

Shortly after participating in AMD's special RDNA 4 launch event, XFX presented its custom Radeon RX 9070 Series graphics card models to Chinese media outlets. The board partner's "QUICKSILVER class" customizable shroud design was highlighted by global PC hardware news sites—a demonstration unit was showcased with attached "racing car red and white" sections. At the time, XFX's web presences teased this intriguing modular system: "the RX 9000 Series QUICKSILVER Class GPUs features customizable magnetic wings which can be easily removed and replaced to match your style and needs." Select models also sport the manufacturer's impressive "Magnetic Air" triple-fan system—as explored in W1zzard's review of a related (higher-end) MERCURY model; worth a read!

Very recently, XFX's RDNA 4 QUICKSILVER splash page was updated with additional information: "3D Printer Required—3D files available in the downloads section on the product pages." A fresh VideoCardz report covered the availability of 3D print files for compatible card models, via official download pages. Owners can print out their own interpretations, but "magnets are required for assembly." XFX has not yet indicated whether it will sell aftermarket magnetic wing parts. The company's general mentioning of "RX 9000 Series" could imply that forthcoming QUICKSILVER models—e.g. Radeon RX 9060 XT—will be similarly provisioned with modular shroud designs.

Considering that CPUs like the AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D are turning heads everywhere for their unstoppable gaming prowess, you might be thinking about building a new PC in 2025. You'll need a potent graphics card to power your gaming ambitions. Today, you have more options on that front than ever. We're expanding our portfolio of AMD-powered graphics cards with Radeon RX 9070 XT and Radeon RX 9070 models from TUF Gaming and Prime.

Next-gen feature set
Armed with the latest RDNA 4 architecture and a supersized 16 GB serving of VRAM, these graphics cards stand poised to give you premium gaming experiences for years to come. Next-gen HYPR-RX tech delivers ultra-fast gaming, and you'll enjoy next-level immersion with the latest AI-powered features from AMD, including an improved experience with ray tracing. New for this generation is a machine-learning based super resolution mode compatible with select FSR 3.1 games that gives you an incredible balance of detailed images and fluid frame rates. DisplayPort 2.1 outputs give you incredible bandwidth for going big on resolution while supporting high-end refresh rates.

Over the past month and a half, PC hardware retailers have tasked themselves with sharing of all sorts of bad news to their respective customer bases. Inet AB has outlined the outlook for regional availability of GeForce RTX 5070 graphics cards, but a newer blog entry focuses on the Team Red side of things. The popular Swedish store put a spotlight on today's launch of RDNA 4 products: "we have learned how the recommended prices, also known as MSRP prices, work for the launch of the AMD Radeon RX 9070 and RX 9070 XT. We are not allowed to say exact prices.., but simply put, they will apply to a limited number of cards. For this release, we will have MSRP prices from three manufacturers, all of whom have both an RX 9070 and an RX 9070 XT at MSRP." According to Inet's product table, the brands are: ASUS, PowerColor and SAPPHIRE. Respectively, the PRIME, Reaper and PULSE product families serve as substitutes to (absent) AMD-built equivalents.

So far, the retail launch of Radeon 9070 Series has experienced fewer hiccups—when compared to recent GeForce RTX 50-series releases. Unfortunately, Inet has indicated that price climbs are in the pipeline for AMD's brand-new RDNA 4 generation. The shop's blog elaborated on shifting circumstances: "the prices only apply to the first shipment of each model. For Sapphire and ASUS it will be just as usual, we have only received one shipment, and you can buy it until it runs out, but with PowerColor it will be different. In other words, only the cards that were released with MSRP prices at release will be sold for the lower price." Earlier today, Overclockers UK's initial batch of "baseline price conformant" stock was depleted rapidly—forum and social media posts boasted about "thousands of units" being amassed in a warehouse, prior to launch. Gibbo—a well-liked OCUK employee—shared some additional insight (yesterday): "I feel stock will be fine for a few days. MSRP is capped quantity of a few hundred, so prices will jump once those are sold through. Re-stocks and pricing is unknown going forward, nobody really knows what April will bring due to instability in world with USA starting to rage a trade war, we are all hopeful it won't impact computer stuff, but who knows."

Yeston unveiled its striking Radeon RX 9070 XT 16 GB Sakura Atlantis card design around mid-January, along with an NDA-busting specification disclosure. The Chinese board partner seemingly disregarded AMD's guarded approach; by happily revealing an allocated pool of 16 GB VRAM. Later on, teasers emerged via the brand's social media accounts—including photos from an outdoor fashion shoot. Press outlets were expecting Yeston's launch lineup to consists of Sakura Atlantis Radeon RX 9070 XT and RX 9070 SKUs, but "bog standard" Sakura options have also appeared online.

The company's bafflingly abstract design is a familiar property; due to its deployments on a variety of past-gen hardware. According to one of Yeston's promotional images, their standard Sakura design only applies to a lone Radeon RX 9070 XT SKU. Both product tiers were accompanied by a message from their manufacturer: "Sakura And Sakura Atlantis are here! Yeston RX 9070 Series graphics cards are built to deliver all you need for ultra-fast gaming, with next-level visuals and future-ready features, supercharged with AI."

XFX appears to be lining up separate tranches of Radeon RX 9070 Series graphics cards for different markets; Chinese media outlets have reported a wide-spanning lineup of "domestic" and "overseas" edition SKUs. VideoCardz has spotted another potential China-exclusive model—their past weekend investigative piece put the spotlight on a Radeon RX 9070 XT dual-fan SWIFT design. This variant was found on XFX's Tmall e-tail store. The manufacturer's Chinese language official site does not list this curiosity, and recent press material has focused on a lineup of triple-fan cooled solutions. XFX's Western web presences do not allude to any twin-fan variants within the MERCURY, QUICKSILVER, or SWIFT classes.

AMD's recent full-fledged introduction of RDNA 4 included promotional renders of reference card designs, but the launch of Radeon RX 9070 XT and RX 9070 involves an entirely board partner-manufactured pool of SKUs. The XFX Radeon RX 9070 XT SWIFT dual-fan model is priced exactly at the level of Team Red's regional guide MSRP: 4999 RMB (including VAT). It likely serves as a direct alternative to an absent AMD-built dual-fan reference card. According to a comparative table of XFX model specifications (see below), the dual-fan variant shares identical data points—excluding physical measurements—with its longer siblings.

XFX is introducing a wide selection of Radeon RX 9070 XT and RX 9070 SKUs at launch (March 6), with updated naming schemes and new shroud/backplate designs. Chinese press outlets were invited to inspect the manufacturer's brand-new offerings post-conclusion of AMD's regional introductory event for RDNA 4. Expreview gathered five samples (from a total of ten reported launch units) for their recent article—local nomenclature is highly confusing (e.g. "Phoenix Nirvana"), so we will be using XFX's Western terminology. Unlike other board partners, the company has not released a comprehensive press release for its new product families (at the time of writing). Over the past weekend, VideoCardz highlighted the QUICKSILVER Radeon RX 9070 XT model. They reckon that this a special "Esport" edition, but the situation is unclear—their report repeatedly mentions new Radeon RX 7900 XT cards.

TechPowerUp returned to official sources, in order to get clarification regarding the new "red and black" QUICKSILVER design. According to a sparse XFX Radeon RX 9000 series splash page: "Customizable Shroud—the RX 9000 Series QUICKSILVER Class GPUs features customizable magnetic wings which can be easily removed and replaced to match your style and needs. Details coming soon!" We hope that an upcoming official PR piece will provide a clear rundown of SKUs and feature sets. Expreview took a look at two "Overseas Edition" QUICKSILVER RX 9070 series graphics cards; in XT and non-XT forms. They noted the presence of XFX's signature "Magnetic Air" modular fan system, as well as optional shroud pieces. Their detailed description stated: "the upper and lower sides of the graphics card radiator have detachable magnetic inscriptions and phantom wings, which are inspired by sports cars and support personalized customization, and the logo can be changed at will. It uses three 10 cm ring-blade fans, and the radiator is equipped with five 6 mm heat pipes, a metal backplate and a hidden bracket to reduce PCB deformation." Chinese market pricing for the XFX QUICKSILVER Radeon RX 9070 XT card is reported as 5799 RMB (including VAT)—AMD set a regional baseline MSRP of 4999 RMB (~$686 USD) last week.

Days before releasing, Chinese leakers on Chiphell are showcasing a custom variant of AMD's upcoming Radeon RX 9070 XT with what appears to be a 12V-2x6 power connector. The custom AIB model is Sapphire Radeon RX 9070 XT NITRO+, which features a triple-fan cooling configuration and a departure from Sapphire's older GPUs that used eight-pin power connectors. Despite proving to be problematic for NVIDIA, this power connector could do well with AMD's Navi 48 XT GPU SKU due to its power consumption envelope. With an entire GPU projected to use 304 W total board power, the 12V-2x6 connector could easily power this configuration without the need to overheat and possibly melt. If it manages to power 600 W TGP NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090, then powering a custom Radeon RX 9070 XT shouldn't be an issue.

Even if the card experiences a heavy overclock, power limits will remain within a usable range so as not to cause any trouble. Sapphire's reason for ditching the older, reliable eight-pin power connectors is unknown, but the use of the new 12V-2x6 here isn't expected to be problematic either. Some previous VBIOS records in our GPU DB indicate that the GPU could boost the Navi 48 XT SKU to 2,520/2,518 MHz, which is about 120 MHz higher than the stock AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT boost clock.

PowerColor's Radeon RX 9070 XT Hellhound model is a known property—in terms of its visual presentation—due to a public unveiling at CES 2025, as well as renders appearing online via official product pages. The Taiwanese manufacturer has decided to update its custom graphics card designs for AMD's incoming RDNA 4 generation—for example; the flagship Red Devil family is also refreshed for 2025. So far, PowerColor has showcased "standard black" Red Devil, Hellhound and Reaper designs. Rumors of additional Spectral White variants were circulating online earlier in the week.

Chinese market-exclusive PowerColor Radeon RX 7650 GRE Reaper models were launched very recently, complete with a Spectral White option. Following this official launch, VideoCardz picked up on inside track information; pointing to possible pale variants of forthcoming RDNA 4-based Red Devil cards. Days later, another PowerColor leak has unearthed an unannounced Spectral White SKU, albeit in Hellhound flavor. This product family usually offers a nice balance of high-end features and favorable pricing; we hope to see concrete details tomorrow. The leaked Hellhound card seems to feature an almost all-white aesthetic; extending to its PCB design and I/O bracket. No major surprises were disclosed in VideoCardz's report, but they noted a potential absence of RGB lighting zones. Previous-gen Hellhounds sport "fixed-color" schemes; enabling blue or purple lighting.

Sapphire's premium NITRO+ Radeon RX 9070 XT graphics card model was the subject of several leaks in the recent past—unsurprisingly, gaming GPU detectives gathered evidence of a very high speculative price point. The AIB's top "champagne gold" offering is due for a full unveiling; we expect to see examples tomorrow—AMD will broadcast a special Radeon RX 9070 Series presentation. Within the past 24 hours, VideoCardz received a compelling tip-off—the GPU news specialist was pointed in the direction of TechPowerUp. Currently, the site's VGA BIOS Collection hosts a downloadable "Sapphire 9070 XT 16 GB BIOS (Nitro+)" ROM.

The VGA BIOS build date is listed as "2024-12-13," with the file becoming available to download roughly two days ago (February 25). VideoCardz highlighted interesting "BIOS Internals" information; namely the mentioning of a "Navi48 XTX" GPU variant. Since CES 2025, AMD and its board partners have kept quiet about finer RDNA 4 details, but insiders and leakers have noted the existence of a generic "Navi 48" GPU. TechPowerUp's GPU database listings of AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT 16 GB and RX 9070 16 GB (non-XT) are freshly updated; reflecting new information sourced from pre-launch VGA BIOS listings. The incoming flagship seems to utilize a "Navi 48 XT" GPU variant (note: not 48 XTX), while its non-XT sibling is (supposedly) based on "Navi 48 XL." VideoCardz has heard whispers of a next-gen "Navi XTXH," industry moles have linked this sub-model to a supposed "higher-end" 32 GB RDNA 4 card. TPU's GPU database also alludes to an AMD Radeon RX 9060 XT GPU; just updated with a "Navi 48 LE" designation.