AMD stops Radeon RX 7900 GRE
AMD is ending production of the Radeon RX 7900 GRE after less than a year. The graphics card is reaching its end-of-life, which experts associate with the upcoming launch of the new RDNA 4 generation at CES 2025. What does this mean for the market?
AMD ends production of the Radeon RX 7900 GRE
AMD has surprisingly announced the end of the Radeon RX 7900 GRE. The graphics card, which was only introduced in Europe at the beginning of 2024, will reach its end-of-life (EOL) after less than a year. Dealers and distributors can no longer reorder the model, like the Dutch portal Tweakers has experienced.
The Radeon RX 7900 GRE is based on AMD’s RDNA 3 architecture and was originally designed as a cost-effective alternative to the high-end models. With 80 compute units, 16 GB of GDDR6 memory and a TDP of 260 watts, it positioned itself in terms of performance between the GeForce RTX 4070 Super and the RTX 4070 Ti Super from competitor Nvidia.
AMD used partially deactivated Navi 31 XL GPUs to produce the RX 7900 GRE, which were scrapped in the production of the more expensive RX 7900 XT and XTX. This strategy allowed the company to offer a powerful graphics card at a price of under 600 euros. The use of scrap chips is a common practice in the semiconductor industry to maximize yield and reduce costs.
Make room for the next generation
The timing of the discontinuation of the RX 7900 GRE does not seem to be a coincidence. Industry experts suspect a direct connection with the upcoming launch of the Radeon RX 8000 series, which will be based on the new RDNA 4 architecture. AMD is expected to unveil this new generation at CES 2025 in early January.
By discontinuing the RX 7900 GRE early, AMD could try to avoid an overlap between the old and new generations. This would be a lesson learned from the launch of the RDNA 3 series, where large stocks of the previous generation were still present in warehouses. The strategy of discontinuing older models early is also not uncommon in the technology industry and is often used to prepare the market for new products.
Impact on the market
For consumers, the EOL of the RX 7900 GRE means that availability will be increasingly limited in the coming weeks. There are currently stocks available in stores, but they are no longer being replenished. According to price comparisons, some partner models and a card in a reference design are still available in Germany.
The discontinuation of the RX 7900 GRE could also have an impact on pricing. The cheaper RX 7800 XT, which offers similar performance, is already available for under 500 euros and could now become even more attractive to buyers. It remains to be seen whether prices for the remaining RX 7900 GRE models will decrease or remain stable due to limited availability.
