AMD Delays Radeon RX 9070 Series Launch to Optimize Drivers and Expand FSR 4 Support

AMD has announced a delay in the launch of its highly anticipated Radeon RX 9070 and RX 9070 XT graphics cards. While rumors suggested the postponement might be due to competition with NVIDIA’s GeForce RTX 5070 and 5070 Ti in terms of performance and pricing, AMD has clarified the real reason.

According to David McAfee, head of AMD’s Ryzen CPU and Radeon GPU division, the delay is aimed at optimizing drivers to achieve maximum performance and ensure broader support for the new FSR 4 (FidelityFX Super Resolution) technology across more games.

Wider Availability and Custom Variants Expected by March

McAfee shared on social media that initial stock of the RX 9070 series is already in the hands of distributors and retailers. However, the official launch is being pushed to allow for a wider availability of custom variants created by manufacturers. This move ensures a more robust lineup for consumers once the cards are officially available.

The delay has been somewhat unexpected given that AMD initially announced the RX 9070 series at CES, albeit without providing specific launch details. The cards were anticipated to reach the market soon after the announcement, but their availability has now been postponed to March.

With this delay, it will be interesting to see how AMD positions the Radeon RX 9070 series in terms of performance and pricing as it prepares to compete against NVIDIA’s upcoming RTX 50 series.