The Radeon RX 9070 and 9070 XT graphics cards, initially offering attractive recommended prices, took longer to reach these recommended prices compared to competing RTX 50 models. Now, as these cards have finally become more affordable, rumors have surfaced that AMD plans to increase prices.
Reportedly, AMD has already informed partners about the price increase. The reason is the recent market discussions over the last few weeks – the rising cost of DRAM memory. Although GDDR6, used in AMD cards, hasn’t surged as dramatically, its price has risen by approximately 30%, and there’s no certainty that this hike will halt. How significantly card prices might rise remains unclear. Relative to the entire card price, of course, 16 GB of memory isn’t exceptionally costly, but it’s still an increase that won’t sit well with consumers.
There were also recent reports about the rise in cost and shortage of GDDR7, suggesting that RTX 50 models might also see a price hike. Adding to the complexity, industry analysis suggests that these trends could affect availability during peak demand seasons, especially in regions heavily reliant on imports. To mitigate potential backlash, AMD might introduce promotional offers or bundle deals to ease the consumer transition toward higher prices.
Experts in the field have pointed out that the market might experience volatility as suppliers adjust to new pricing dynamics. Historical patterns indicate that such DRAM-induced price shifts could lead graphics card manufacturers to explore alternative memory solutions or technologies for future models.
