AMD's RDNA 4 Could Surprise Us in Many Ways

After seeing numerous leaks, I believed I had a solid understanding of what to expect from AMD’s upcoming RDNA 4 architecture. However, it seems I may have missed the mark in several areas.

Recent leaks suggest that AMD’s next high-performance graphics card will not be labeled the RX 8800 XT, as many had anticipated, but will instead carry the name RX 9070 XT. Furthermore, the first leaked benchmark results for this GPU provide an early look at its performance, which might be somewhat disappointing.

To begin with, let’s discuss the naming convention for RDNA 4, which took many by surprise. Over the weekend, a series of leaks indicated that the anticipated flagship model of AMD’s upcoming generation won’t be the RX 8800 XT. An advertisement spotted on Reddit from AMD’s official account, discovered by VideoCardz, appears to have revealed the official render for the GPU. Prominent leaker Hoang Anh Phu confirmed that this model is indeed the RX 9070 XT.

Another leaker on the Chiphell forum echoed these findings, as referenced by HXL on X (formerly Twitter). Moreover, VideoCardz announced that an unnamed motherboard vendor has asserted that the RDNA 4 lineup will be classified as the Radeon 90-series. This represents a significant shift in the expected naming pattern, as most sources initially thought we would see the RX 8000 series. Personally, I was particularly eager for the RX 8800 XT, which is now said to likely be the RX 9070 XT.

Confirmed, this is RX 9070 XT.

— Hoang Anh Phu (@AnhPhuH) December 23, 2024

This brings me to the leaked benchmark results, shared by All_The_Watts on X. This leaker, who has a reliable history, not only corroborated the new naming convention but also revealed Time Spy benchmark results for the RX 9070 XT. Although this synthetic benchmark doesn’t fully capture real-world GPU performance, it offers a glimpse into how it measures up to its competitors.

The RX 9070 XT achieved a score of 22,894 points in the Time Spy test, positioning it as a competitor to the RX 7900 GRE and the RTX 4070 Ti. However, it falls significantly short of the RX 7900 XT by over 15%. Given that many had speculated that AMD’s new flagship would stack up against the RTX 4080, it is hard not to feel a small disappointment with this initial score.

Nevertheless, it is essential to remember that this is merely one benchmark. It’s premature to form a complete opinion on how fast the RX 9070 XT actually is. More benchmark results are likely to surface as we approach January 6 when AMD is expected to officially unveil RDNA 4 and clarify many of these uncertainties.