Not this again — AMD's RX 9070 XT could be priced as much as $250 above the MSRP.

      AMD showcased numerous graphics cards at CES 2025, but nearly two months later, they have yet to become available for purchase.

      AMD is entering the competitive landscape against Nvidia's top graphics cards. The RX 9070 XT and its non-XT variant are expected to start hitting the shelves soon, with gamers eager to see them priced at their suggested retail price (MSRP). Unfortunately, some variants may be priced as much as $250 above MSRP, mirroring the trend seen with Nvidia’s recent RTX 50-series releases, where GPUs are priced significantly higher than expected.

      Although the cards are not officially available yet, Best Buy has multiple RX 9070 XT and non-XT models listed, although they are marked as “coming soon.”

      On a positive note, several models are shown at MSRP, which stands at $599 for the 9070 XT and $549 for the RX 9070. However, some cards are seeing significant price hikes.

      For instance, the XFX Mercury AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT OC, an overclocked card in a distinctive white design often associated with a price premium, is listed at $849, which is a substantial $250 above MSRP.

      Similarly, the RX 9070 non-XT also has some pricey options; the highest-priced model I found was $669—an increase, though not quite as steep.

      AMD hasn't produced its own versions of these cards (often referred to as Made By AMD, or MBA), but it has committed to collaborating with its partners to ensure a broad availability. It is hoped that this availability includes not just premium overclocked models but also the more budget-friendly versions at MSRP.

      Getting pricing right is critical for AMD’s competition with Nvidia. At $600, the RX 9070 XT is reasonably priced, especially considering it could compete with the Nvidia RTX 5070 Ti, which starts at $750. However, if the price rises to $850, it creates a completely different scenario.

      Willow Roberts has been a Computing Writer at Digital Trends for a year and has been writing for about a decade.

      The competition between the new generation of AMD and Nvidia graphics cards is intensifying in early 2025. With Nvidia's RTX 50 series quickly making its debut, AMD's RDNA4 GPUs are prepared to enter the fray. With stock availability uneven and pricing fluctuating wildly, there is much speculation on how these new cards will compete head-to-head.

      Until we can test these cards ourselves (when the embargoes lift), we can only make educated guesses about the outcome of this competition.

      AMD's next-generation GPUs are set to launch next month. The Radeon RX 9070 and RX 9070 XT graphics cards are expected to be released on March 6, as indicated by certain retail listings. These new GPUs, based on AMD's RDNA 4 architecture, will debut just weeks after Nvidia's RTX 5070 Ti and potentially before the RTX 5070, paving the way for an intense mid-range GPU rivalry.

      According to Tom's Hardware, hardware leaker momomo_us shared screenshots of RX 9070 and 9070 XT models from XFX on Amazon, showing prices between $649 and $849. Notably, one listing states, "This item will be released on March 6, 2025."

      The rivalry between AMD and Nvidia is beginning to escalate. Nvidia opened this year with two of the top graphics cards, while AMD remained relatively quiet. Now, in 2025, the competition is set to amplify. Nvidia recently announced the release of its RTX 5070 Ti, prompting AMD to respond with significant news regarding the RX 9070 XT.

      The RTX 5070 Ti is almost here and has validated predictions from leakers regarding its launch date. Scheduled for release on February 20 at a starting price of $749, it may be challenging to locate one at MSRP. Besides pricing, the RTX 5070 Ti boasts 8,960 CUDA cores, a boost clock of up to 2.45GHz, and 16GB of GDDR7 VRAM on a 256-bit memory bus, along with a total graphics power of 300 watts.