AMD leaks reveal an RX 9070 XT as the RDNA 4 flagship GPU — but have we already been looking at this for weeks?

AMD has been tight-lipped regarding its unannounced RDNA 4 graphics cards, but some major information was leaked over the weekend. If the leaks turn out to be true, AMD will be hitting us with a new naming convention and a handful of new RX 9000 desktop GPUs.

The info stream kicked off with X user and leaker All_The_Watts posting a list of new AMD Radeon GPUs. An RX 9070 XT sits at the top of the list, and it's accompanied by RX 9060, 9050, and 9040 cards.

All_The_Watts followed up the initial post with a further breakdown of the rumored AMD RDNA 4 GPUs. As Tom's Hardware reported, AMD is expected to shake up naming to better differentiate its different generations of GPU tech. RDNA 3.5 tech should come under the RX 8000 banner, while RDNA 4 should stick with RX 9000.

According to the leak, AMD's Radeon 9070 XT may be roughly on par with the existing Radeon RX 7900 GRE from the RDNA 3 lineup. The last-gen RX 7900 XT may continue to reign supreme even after the RDNA 4 cards launch, but that's not a huge surprise; AMD is focusing more on mid- and low-end cards for this generation, leaving NVIDIA at the top of the heap with its X080 and X090 cards. Also listed in the leak are Radeon RX 9070M XT, RX 9070, RX 9070M, and RX 9070S GPUs.

The initial major leak was backed up by X user momomo_us shortly after, who grabbed a screenshot from French retailer GrossbillPro listing AMD's new Radeon RX 9070 XT and RX 9070 GPUs.

There's still not a lot of hard evidence surrounding specific specs for these cards, and we'll have to wait until AMD makes an official announcement to find out more. That could come at CES 2025, which is where NVIDIA is expected to reveal its RTX 5000 GPUs.

Looking at all of the leaks currently out there, it seems like the Radeon RX 9070 XT and RX 9070 could have 16GB of VRAM with a 256-bit bus. The RX 9060 could drop that down to 12GB on a 192-bit bus. Again, these specs are far from confirmed.

As for pricing, again, nothing is confirmed. Rumors point to a $649 RX 9070 XT, with prices dropping as low as $179 for what is assumedly the RX 9040.

Has AMD's RDNA 4 GPU design been hiding in plain sight?

Another recent leak might have come from AMD itself. Reported by Videocardz and backed up by X user (and reputable leaker) AnhPhuH, it seems like a render of an RDNA 4 GPU was posted by AMD a few weeks ago as part of an advertising campaign.

AnhPhuH claims the card in question is the RX 9070 XT, though they don't clarify whether it's a look at a reference card — the GPUs that AMD produces itself — or a custom card from a partner. There's not much more info to be gleaned from the render, and we'll have to wait for finalized card designs.

Can AMD pull an Intel and shake up the GPU market?

With AMD reportedly abandoning the high-end GPU market and NVIDIA focusing on the high-end GPU market, Intel swooped in to deliver the best budget GPU in recent memory.

Intel's Arc Battlemage cards were announced on December 4, 2024, and the Arc B580 began shipping about 11 days later. Coming in at a $249 price tag, its 12GB of VRAM has propelled it into the minds of every budget PC builder out there. It's so popular that despite a promise from retailers of weekly restocks, the scalping market has taken off.

AMD's RDNA 4 GPUs are still living in a world of rumors and leaks, and it will be interesting to see how the company positions its entry into the market following Intel's surprisingly effective surprise.