AMD assures us $549/$599 isn't 'launch-only pricing' for RX 9070, more GPUs are coming at MSRPs

AMD has addressed the rumors that the only RX 9070 graphics cards we'll see at the MSRP (with entry-level boards, of course) were fleetingly offered at launch yesterday, and won't be witnessed again in the near future.

As you can see in the above post on X from AMD's Frank Azor, work is ongoing to restock RX 9070 models at retailers - going by the grapevine, we can expect a good deal more supply than NVIDIA is managing with RTX 5000 GPUs (admittedly, that's not difficult) - and at least some (entry-level) boards will come back in at MSRP.

Azor notes that: "MSRP pricing (excluding region specific tariffs and/or taxes) will continue to be encouraged beyond today."

In a separate statement provided to Hardware Unboxed (see above, again on X), Azor clarified that: "It is inaccurate that $549/$599 MSRP is launch-only pricing. We expect cards to be available from multiple vendors at $549/$599 (excluding region specific tariffs and/or taxes) based on the work we have done with our AIB partners, and more are coming."

Subsidies to achieve MSRP?

As we understand it - based on reports from not just leakers, but retailers themselves, such as Overclockers UK - the initial batch of entry-level RX 9070 and 9070 XT models were provided with a subsidy for a limited number of graphics cards to be sold at MSRP, with the rest set to be sold for more.

That's indeed how things turned out at yesterday's RDNA 4 launch, with boards available at MSRP for a short while - particularly with the vanilla RX 9070 - but they all sold out pretty swiftly (notably not instantly, thankfully).

Right now, those entry-level MSRP graphics cards are around 10% more expensive than their recommended price, or the models which remain in stock in the UK are, at least. Stock has vanished in the US, so those boards still at $549/$599 (and there are some) are only technically priced at that level (as you can't actually buy them).

When US retailers get more stock of these baseline RX 9070 GPUs, then we'll see what happens to the asking prices.

According to Azor, of course, MSRP pricing is going to be 'encouraged' - the statement made on his X account feels a little more watered down than the one given to Hardware Unboxed - so we should see more models at the official MSRP before long, fingers crossed.

That's a welcome bit of positivity, though it's not clear whether AMD may be providing further financial support (subsidies) to distributors in order to achieve this. (Of course, officially, this isn't the case anyway - this is just what's reported by partners and leaks, don't forget).

It's also worth noting that those outside the US are worried about the qualifying statement "excluding region specific tariffs and/or taxes" effectively ruling out MSRPs in their part of the world, perhaps.

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