AMD’s New GPU Makes No Sense | Radeon RX 9070 GRE vs. GeForce RTX 5070
AMD has announced a global rollout of the Radeon RX 9070 GRE, a less powerful variant of its RX 9070 graphics card that was previously exclusive to the Chinese market. The move has drawn criticism from industry observers due to an unusual pricing strategy that raises questions about the GPU’s positioning.
The RX 9070 GRE features 12GB of VRAM, 48 compute units, and a boost frequency of 2790 MHz, with AMD recommending it for 1440p gaming. The standard RX 9070, by contrast, is positioned for 4K performance. Both cards launch at the same original MSRP, though the standard RX 9070 will increase to $619 after the initial release period.
The GRE represents a cost-reduced version of the Navi 48 GPU architecture. AMD’s decision to release this weaker card at price parity reflects broader supply chain pressures and the ongoing memory crisis affecting the GPU market, which has driven component costs higher than when the GRE originally launched in China.
Performance benchmarks show the RX 9070 GRE achieving approximately 100 fps in Arc Raiders, 144 fps in Forza Horizon with ray tracing, and 86 fps in Horizon Forbidden West at 1440p Ultra settings. Industry observers have questioned the logic of offering consumers a demonstrably inferior card at identical pricing to its more capable sibling, particularly given the significant performance gap and differing target resolutions between the two models.