Is it time to abandon the high-end segment, which represents only a tiny portion of the graphics card market?
Launched by several hardware leak specialists on X (formerly Twitter), the rumor of a strategic repositioning by AMD led the Videocardz site to ponder the question by cross-checking sources and studying the past of the brand well known for its Radeon graphics cards in particular. Of course, before going into further detail, it's worth pointing out that nothing below has been confirmed in any way by AMD. While there are some solid points of support for this information, these are still only rumours, and should be treated with the necessary hindsight.
Videocardz
The question, then, is the next generation of graphics cards. While AMD is currently working on RDNA3, the RDNA4 generation is due to be launched sometime next year, more likely in the second half of the year. According to various sources, AMD has revised its RDNA4 roadmap and decided to shift its focus from the high-end to the mid-range. AMD would leave the field open for NVIDIA to show off the full power of its GPUs with "showcase" products that, while not selling by the pallet, promote all the brand's models. The refocusing of AMD's activities may come as a surprise, as the American company would lose this "showcase" aspect, but on closer examination, it's actually less surprising than it seems.
Videocardz
In fact, the transition from RDNA2 to RDNA3 has already seen AMD make its first move: while NVIDIA has a very high-end card with its GeForce RTX 4090, AMD has decided not to oppose it, and more than eight months after the launch of RDNA3, we still don't have a Radeon RX 7950 that could fill this role. AMD has already abandoned the very high-end on this generation, and should continue to do so with the abandonment of all high-end on RDNA4. It should also be remembered that at the time of RDNA1, AMD had already favored the mid-range segment, which represents cards that are less costly to develop, easier to produce and reach a much wider audience. Let's wait for AMD to confirm this...
