AMD Debunks Speculation of 32 GB Radeon RX 9070 XT Version

AMD has set the record straight regarding rumors about a new Radeon RX 9070 XT GPU boasting 32 GB of memory—a tale that just doesn’t hold up. Not too long ago, whispers circulated from a leaker on Chiphell suggesting that such a model might debut this year, billed as part of AMD’s ‘Gaming’ series rather than their PRO lineup.

However, AMD’s Frank Azor recently put those rumors to bed. Responding to TechpowerUp via a post on X, he clarified that there are no plans for a 32 GB version of the RX 9070 XT:

“No, the 9070 XT card is not coming in 32 GB capacity,” Azor stated.

The official RX 9070 XT will carry 16 GB of GDDR6 VRAM, which aligns with its expected performance capabilities. Doubling the memory to 32 GB wouldn’t yield significant improvements in gaming performance that might justify such a move. Initial rumors had speculated that this expanded memory might be geared towards AI applications, with gaming as a secondary focus.

Historically, AMD hasn’t ventured into offering gaming GPUs with 32 GB of memory, and it seems logical to stick with this path, especially for a GPU positioned in the upper-mid range. A 32 GB capacity would likely be overkill and underutilized within the RDNA 4 framework. As of now, the RX 9070 XT stands as the flagship card centered around the Navi 48 GPU, hinting that there won’t be a VRAM capacity higher than 16 GB in this lineup.

As we look at other models such as the RX 9070 and those based on Navi 44, it’s expected that they’ll feature lower specifications and, consequently, reduced performance. AMD is slated to unveil the RX 9000 series officially on February 28th. On this date, we’ll finally get the scoop on the specs, pricing, and performance metrics directly from AMD.

Consumers can expect these new GPUs to hit the shelves in early March. This timeline is also when NVIDIA is anticipated to introduce their GeForce RTX 5070 GPU. Frank Azor has noted before that AMD’s 70-class GPUs are designed to go toe-to-toe with NVIDIA’s 70-class offerings. It will surely be intriguing to see how the RX 9070 XT or 9070 measure up against the likes of the RTX 5070 Ti or RX 5070.