AMD RDNA 3 GPUs could be hard to buy when they’re launched

AMD’s RDNA 3 graphics cards are due out next month, but they may be hard to find online or in physical stores, if the grapevine is correct with a new claim.

As pointed out by @harukaze5719 on Twitter, Quasarzone (QSZ) dropped some information on stock levels of the RX 7900 models, which of course we should take with a few handfuls of spice.

Worryingly, Quasarzone predicts that the initial stock levels of the RX 7900 XT and 7900 XTX will be “extremely low,” with the use of the word extreme being of course the concern.

That makes it sound like very few units will hit the shelves at least to begin with, when the new RDNA 3 GPUs launch on December 13.

There’s a twist here though, because as @harukaze5719 elaborates, this is likely referring to the reference boards – built to AMD’s base specs – while more powerful custom cards from third-party card makers won’t appear until late December. However, those (better performing) models could come with firmer inventory levels, but that’s just guesswork on the part of the Twitter leaker.

Of course, this whole package of rumors should be treated very carefully, as we have already noted.

Part of the reason we have to be wary of this new rumor is that we’ve heard more positives in the recent past that AMD is going to have a robust volume of RDNA 3 graphics right away.

So to directly contradict that, and Team Red is now theoretically looking at extreme low inventory levels feel like a stretch. However, what could be the case is that, as we touched on above, the very first few days, or maybe a week, that the RX 7900 XT and 7900 XTX GPUs are available could see scarce stock (and scalpers are undoubtedly having a field day and to make matters worse) – but stock volume could be ramped up significantly by the end of the year (perhaps with third-party custom RDNA 3 boards, as mentioned).

This aligns with other recent speculation we’ve seen that custom RDNA 3 maps probably won’t be out until a few weeks after reference boards (at least in general).

However, if there are many more third-party custom models than reference, that in itself brings up another possibility. Namely, that the custom efforts will be expensive graphics cards, and “much more expensive” than reference boards, according to another recent rumor.

If true, that could mean we see many stocks at significantly more expensive levels than AMD’s MSRP, and that will be another blow to gamers looking for a new high-end graphics card – what with Nvidia’s RTX 4090 and 4080, GPUs that are already out there and are exorbitantly expensive. It’s not like the 7900 XT and XTX are anything like affordable, even at Team Red’s recommended prices, of course ($899 and $999 in the US).

This is one case where we have to hope the rumor mongers are wrong, but as always, only time will tell. Let’s just cross our fingers that we’re not hoping that the rumored RTX 4070 Ti is imminent will have to come to the rescue on the pricing front, because we’re not convinced that will happen either.