More Affordable AMD Radeon RX 6700 Launch May Be Imminent
AMD is not finished cranking out graphics cards based on its second generation Radeon DNA (RDNA 2) GPU architecture. We can say that with relative certainty, because the typical script for next-gen GPU launches is to focus on the high end first, then release more affordable models later. NVIDIA did that with its GeForce RTX 3060 Ti, and word on the web is that AMD is prepping a couple of Radeon RX 6700 series cards.
As things currently stand, AMD has come out with its Radeon RX 6900 XT, which ranks as the company's most powerful consumer graphics card ever built. We have also reviewed the Radeon RX 6800 XT and 6800, the company's two other RDNA 2 offerings for PC gaming.
The cheapest of the bunch costs $579, and there could be a significant rise in GPU pricing due to tariff exemptions having recently expired and cryptocurrency mining, as we wrote about earlier today. However, AMD will inevitably launch lower end models at friendlier price points.
According to the folks at Cowcotland, at least two launches are imminent, those being the Radeon RX 6700 XT and Radeon RX 6700. The site says the Radeon RX 6700 XT will be powered by a Navi 22 XT GPU, featuring 40 compute units and 2,560 shading units, along with 12GB of memory (presumably GDDR6) on a 192-bit bus.
The regular Radeon RX 6700, meanwhile, is said to based on a Navi 22 XL GPU. There is no mention of how many compute units or shading units it will be rocking, only that like the other card, it is likely to have 12GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus.
To put those specifications into reference, here is what the current lineup looks like:
- Radeon RX 6900 XT (Navi 21 XTX): 80 CUs, 5,120 shading units, 16GB GDDR6, 256-bit bus, $999
- Radeon RX 6800 XT (Navi 21 XT): 72 CUs, 4,608 shading units, 16GB GDDR6, 256-bit bus, $649
- Radeon RX 6800 (Navi 21 XL): 60 CUs, 3,840 shading units, 16GB GDDR6, 256-bit bus, $579
- Radeon RX 6700 XT (Navi 22 XT): 40 CUs, 2,560 shading units, 12GB GDDR6, 192-bit bus
- Radeon RX 6700 (Navi 22 XL): ?? CUs, ?? shading units, 12GB GDDR6, 192-bit bus
It is anyone's guess where pricing will land on the upcoming cards—perhaps $499 or less. It sounds like we will find out soon, though, with AMD supposedly gearing up to unveil the Radeon RX 6700 series at the end of the first quarter (by the end of March).
