AMD labs are apparently testing an even faster RDNA 4 GPU that features newer GDDR7 memory, and in larger capacities. This hypothetical RX 9080 XT or RX 9090 XT is said to surpass RTX 5080, getting closer to RTX 4090.
According to MLID on YouTube, AMD is working on a Navi 48x GPU that may power an upcoming Radeon 9000 graphics card. The leaker’s sources came across some test units at AMD’s labs, believed to be part of an upcoming product. These engineering samples are apparently able to reach between 3.4GHz and 3.7GHz while running Cyberpunk 2077. In other words, we are talking about frequencies that are effective during gaming and not boost clocks which are only achievable under certain conditions.
To get a feel of this speed, AMD’s current flagship, RX 9070 XT, comes configured with a 2,400MHz game clock, reaching around 3,000MHz when playing Cyberpunk 2077. The GPU is also expected to pair with up to 32GB of GDDR7 memory running on a 256-bit bus. This change alone would offer a nice uplift thanks to GDDR7’s higher throughput, so combining it with a faster GPU is bound to bring some great gains. Furthermore, since GDDR7 chips are available in multiple capacities, AMD may also launch 16GB or 24GB variants.
While we like higher numbers, what do these mean in effect? According to MLID, these samples were benchmarked in multiple games where they delivered between 15% to 45% higher performance than a stock RX 9070 XT. This translates into a 28% uplift on average at 4K resolution, which is fantastic considering how the GPU is still the same Navi 48 as RX 9070 XT.
Instead of using a brand-new chip, the supposed RX 9080 XT mainly relies on its higher clocks and large memory bandwidth to boost performance beyond the capabilities of RX 9070 XT. This also explains the wider 15 to 45% uplift variation, as games that benefit from higher memory bandwidth would see more gains.
If correct, a 28% uplift would put it between RTX 5080 and RTX 4090, likely closer to the latter or equal to a hypothetical RTX 5080 Super. That said, all of this comes at the cost of power, as some samples were pushed beyond 450W. Lastly, MLID has indicated that these samples were being tested alongside an FSR 4 version different from what we currently have access to, perhaps AMD’s FSR Redstone.
According to MLID sources, these so-called stronger variants of RDNA 4 are expected for later this year alongside other refreshes of Radeon products. But, as usual, until an official announcement, you best take all of the above with a grain of salt.
