
AMD Radeon RX 9070 Preorders Target March 23 for Late Q1 Release
AMD is preparing for a late Q1 launch of its next-generation RDNA 4 GPUs, with preorders for the Radeon RX 9070 series reportedly set to begin on March 23. This aligns with the company’s recent announcement, allowing additional time to ramp up production and ensure adequate stock for the release.
Originally, the Radeon 9000 series was expected to launch in January—likely around the 23rd, according to recent Reddit discussions—but the release was postponed. This delay has generated some frustration among users, prompting AMD’s David McAfee to provide a tentative release window in March. He explained that the delay is intended to allow the company to enhance its software stack and implement FSR 4 support across more games.
The March release timeline appears to be solidified, with American retailer B&H listing various custom models of the Radeon RX 9070 and RX 9070 XT graphics cards. The retailer has confirmed that these models will be available for preorder starting on March 23, which is approximately two months later than the originally scheduled January launch.
It is important to note, however, that the March 23 date could be a placeholder, as it falls on a Sunday. Additionally, the listed models do not appear to feature AMD’s reference design, with cards from brands such as Asus’ Prime and TUF Gaming series being highlighted.
An official announcement detailing the specs and pricing of the Radeon RX 9070 series is expected in early March. Early rumors suggest that both the RX 9070 and RX 9070 XT will feature 16GB of 20Gb/s GDDR6 memory, with the primary difference lying in the core configuration. The RX 9070 is expected to offer 3,584 cores, clocked at a 2.52GHz boost, while the RX 9070 XT will feature 4,096 cores, with a boost clock of 2.97GHz.

Based on these figures, the performance gap between the two models could be around 16%, a similar difference to what we saw between the RX 7900 XT and RX 7900 XTX. Notably, according to AMD’s product segmentation slide, both the RX 9070 and RX 9070 XT will sit below the RX 7900 XT and RX 7900 XTX in terms of performance. However, as is always the case with hardware releases, we’ll need to wait for independent reviews to confirm these details.
One thing is clear: AMD’s focus this generation does not seem to be on the high-end market, leaving enthusiasts with limited options, especially when compared to Nvidia’s offerings at the top of the GPU stack.