For several weeks now, rumors have been multiplying about AMD’s next generation of graphics cards. This summer, some salivated at the mention of an ambitious RX 8900 XTX design (Navi 41) combining up to 10 disaggregated chips. A few weeks later, it was a cold shower with a contradictory rumor claiming that the high-end was simply abandoned in order to concentrate on the mid-range using monolithic dies only.
Will the RDNA4 family of graphics cards be content with the mid-range?
RDNA4: AMD prefers to focus on the mid-range?
According to the latest leaks, the RDNA4 family will bring few changes to the current generation. If we listen to MLD, AMD’s future top-of-the-range processor will certainly be faster than the Radeon RX 7900 XT, but it will be content to position itself simply as an alternative to the next RTX 4080 Super. AMD would thus choose to focus its efforts solely on the mid-range, optimizing its raytracing performance, accelerating on FSR and, above all, offering cards with a more aggressive price positioning thanks to a controlled and more economical design. So, of course, it’s not exactly the stuff of dreams, but when you look at the prices of RTX 4070 to 4080, you can see that there really is a place for them.
We’re only at the rumor stage, and we’ll have to see how AMD communicates in the coming weeks (perhaps in January at CES). However, if we take a step back, the price argument has clearly been a key issue in the mid-range/high-end segment for many months now. Beating the RTX 4090 is undoubtedly good for the image, but not necessarily for making money. Let’s bear in mind that both AMD and Intel should be arriving in 2024 with a new range, while for the time being Nvidia, apart from “Super” Refresh, is likely to keep its RTX 40s.
