AMD says the $549 RX 9070 is real but doesn’t deny reports of possible bait and switch

But this morning’s launch, while better than recent Nvidia launches in terms of supply, may not have met that bar — and AMD would not deny reports that even the best-priced models of these GPUs are capped to specific quantities, after which they may be sold at higher than $549 or $599.

When The Verge checked this morning, major US retailers Best Buy and Newegg listed as few as a single model of each GPU at their MSRP, which sold out quickly, of course. Most cards are listed for a $100 premium over that MSRP, if not more.

Micro Center appears to be doing far better, with as many as five 9070s and five 9070 XTs at MSRP and a website that claims they’re even still available for purchase if you visit one of its 28 US locations in person.

What happens next? It’s not unusual for each graphics card partner to sell a variety of fancier grades of the same GPU at higher prices with fancier cooling and overclocking — but retailers are now suggesting that even the prices of entry-level cards won’t hold.

“We have now learned how the recommended prices, also known as MSRP prices, work for the launch of the AMD Radeon RX 9070 and RX 9070 XT […] they will apply to a limited number of cards,” wrote Swedish retailer Inet.se, as documented by VideoCardz.

“MSRP is capped quantity of a few hundred, so prices will jump once those are sold through,” UK retailer Overclockers UK also reportedly wrote.

Even Best Buy seemed to suggest that $549 / $599 prices were only temporary. When we visited this morning, the Best Buy website described them like they were on sale, though the company has since removed the “save $80” and “save $130” you see below.

AMD would not confirm or deny. It did address the larger question of MSRP availability with this statement from chief gaming solutions architect (and gaming marketing boss) Frank Azor, though:

It is inaccurate that $549 / $599 MSRP is launch-only pricing. We expect cards to be available from multiple vendors at $549 / $599 (excluding region specific tariffs and / or taxes) based on the work we have done with our AIB partners, and more are coming. At the same time, the AIBs have different premium configurations at higher price points and those will also continue.

On X, Azor tweeted that AMD is working to replenish stock “in the coming days and weeks,” adding, “MSRP pricing (excluding region specific tariffs and/or taxes) will continue to be encouraged beyond today so don’t despair.”