Frank Azor, AMD Chief Architect for Gaming Solutions, took the stage at X to address rumors of a potential 32GB RX 9070 XTX in the making. The executive revealed the impossibly powerful RX 90700.05XTXT Max 320GB as an alternative, which quote-unquote matches the RTX 5090, though only in raster. Jokes aside, a 32GB variant could still be on the cards (no pun intended), as it wasn’t explicitly denied but that’s just a guess at this point.
Click ‘See more’ to check out Frank’s reply
It’s unusual for executives to publicly address leaks by confirming or denying their validity. A few days back, Frank shot down rumors of a potential RX 9070 XT 32GB model. Almost every leak we’ve seen thus far points to a 16GB configuration for both RX 9070 series GPUs. Realistically speaking, 32GB is more tailored towards AMD’s Radeon Pro workstation GPUs, with the current-gen Radeon Pro W7900 packing a massive 48GB frame buffer. Even when confronted with the possibility of being a great choice for running LLMs locally, Frank simply pointed towards Strix Halo which offers up to 128GB of unified memory (96GB for the GPU).
Let’s not be detached from reality; a 32GB model seems improbable based on what was said. Still, with a rumored 256-bit interface, AMD can slap on 32GB of memory in clamshell mode, but that will lead to higher costs and hinges on market demand. Inference tasks typically require high VRAM capacities and this is where Strix Halo shines; claimed to outperform the RTX 4090 by 2.2x at 1/6th the TDP. Again, this might not be a cost-effective solution for everyone since Asus’ ROG Flow Z13 configured with 128GB of memory is priced at an eye-watering $2,699.
As it stands, AMD is holding a launch event for RDNA 4 on February 28 where it is expected to detail pricing and performance of these GPUs. The RX 9070 XT and RX 9070 will hit shelves early next month, rivaling Nvidia’s allegedly postponed RTX 5070 and soon-to-launch RTX 5070 Ti. Don’t hold your breath on the pricing since early listings are as high as $749, though we suggest waiting for the official reveal in around ten days for more details.