Rumor mill: AMD has long been believed to be working on its next-gen graphics cards based on the RDNA 4 microarchitecture, and a new leak now suggests that they could shake up the GPU market for good. As per the report, the company is planning to introduce a 'mid-range' RDNA 4 graphics card with more grunt than the Radeon RX 7900 XT.
While next-gen hardware offering better performance than its predecessors is not exactly news, what makes the report stand out is the card's supposed price-tag. According to sources cited by popular YouTube channel Moore's Law Is Dead (MLID), AMD is planning to market the card as a mid-range offering that could be priced between $400 and $600.
While the card is rumored to be faster than the RX 7900 XT, it might not be good enough to beat Nvidia's upcoming RTX 4080 Super, which is expected to be a high-end monster with 20GB of GDDR6X VRAM. Even if that assertion turns out to be accurate, a sub-$600 card with a performance anywhere close to that of the (presumably) much more expensive 4080 Super will likely make it an immediate winner.
The video doesn't say anything about a possible release date for the card, but RDNA 4 GPUs are expected to be announced next year, so it's fair to assume that it will also debut sometime in 2024. For those wondering, the RTX 4000 Super cards are expected to debut in early 2024, possibly at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in January, so expect an intense battle between Team Green and Team Red with their next-gen lineups next year.
It is worth noting that this is the first time we're hearing about the aforementioned RDNA 4 card, so take the news with a pinch of salt until it is confirmed by AMD or at least corroborated by other sources. That said, a graphics card with the performance of the RX 7900 XT at the price of the 7800 XT sounds an enticing prospect, so expect it to be quite popular if the report turns out to be accurate.