AMD could formally introduce its next-generation Radeon RX 7000-series graphics cards based on the RDNA 3 architecture sometime in November and release them commercially in December, according to ECSM, a leaker with a good track record who revealed accurate launch schedule for Intel's Raptor Lake processors earlier this year. The information corroborates with AMD's plan to launch its following graphics processing units this year.
The leaker didn't reveal a specific date, only claiming that the product launch event would be in November. However, he stated that AMD would likely start shipping its flagship and sub-flagship RDNA 3 graphics card in the second half of December.
ECSM did not specify whether by flagship and sub-flagship he meant graphics cards (which can use the same GPU, but with different core count/clock speed configuration) or graphics processing units (which are separate pieces of silicon with their configuration), but we would put our money on actual add-in-boards keeping in mind AMD's track record.
If this is the case, we would expect AMD to release its top-of-the-range codenamed Navi 31 GPU and two graphics cards on its base (think Radeon RX 7900 XT and Radeon RX 7800 XT, though we are speculating) that will likely join the stable of the best graphics cards for gaming. Meanwhile, considering a significant performance uplift brought by Nvidia's GeForce RTX 4090 graphics card compared to the prior generation, ECSM thinks it will be hard for AMD to compete against this board. Thus, he does not expect AMD's flagship graphics offering to carry an extreme price tag.
Meanwhile, bearing in mind that AMD's Navi 31 will use the company's all-new RDNA 3 architecture, a brand-new chiplet design, and feature a 384-bit memory bus, we would anticipate the performance gap between AMD's flagship and Nvidia's flagship offerings to be considerably narrower than the gap between the Radeon RX 6900 XT and the GeForce RTX 4090. Again, though, we are just making a guess.
Suppose the information is correct and AMD intends to start selling two Radeon RX 7000-series graphics boards in the second half of December. In that case, we can only wonder whether they will be available widely this year and at recommended prices. Typically, product ramps take time, so AMD's next-generation, high-end offerings may be hard to find in calendar 2022, especially during the Christmas holidays.
AMD has always said it will use its next-generation RDNA 3-based GPUs for desktop PCs in 2022. Ruth Cotter, the company's SVP responsible for marketing, human resources, and investor relations, reiterated this plan in mid-September at Goldman Sachs Communacopia + Technology Conference.
"We have new product launch before the end of the year, which we are pretty excited about and we think that will be helpful [in terms of shipments growth]," said Cotter (via SeekingAlpha). "But, certainly, the back half of the year is having to work through those sort of machinations. […] That kind of messiness in the consumer graphics market, product launches will help and then we will just have to see how we head into 2023 from there."
