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AMD has been playing catchup in the GPU race. However, the upcoming release of the RDNA 4 gives AMD the potential to significantly increase its market share.
Earlier this month, a leaker known as Kepler_L2 shared some details about the upcoming RDNA 4, suggesting some notable improvements to its performance compared to the RDNA 3 — which will delight buyers of the upcoming PlayStation 5 Pro, which will be an early benefactor of the RDNA 4.
These leaks follow those released five months ago by a YouTube channel known as Moore’s Law is Dead which has over 180,000+ subscribers and predicts that the RDNA 4 will be available with a Navi 48 or Navi 44 chip.
In this article, we’ll examine everything we know about AMD RDNA 4 so far, including the expected release date, features, and pricing.
What is AMD RNDA 4?
AMD RNDA 4 is a next-generation GPU or graphical processing unit that will follow up on the RNDA 3, a GPU released back in December 2022 and available via AMD’s 7900 XTX and XT models.
At this stage, the RNDA 4 is expected to have a number of core improvements including a double intersect ray tracing engine, ray tracing trim pair optimization, BVH footprint improvement, and more.
When Will AMD RNDA 4 Be Released?
Expected Release Date: Late 2024 or 2025
Most experts and/or leakers expect that the AMD RNDA 4 will be released in late 2024 or early 2025. Although there could be some delays, at least according to information from Moore’s Law is Dead.
According to the channel, a source told the YouTuber that the RDNA 4 will be ready to launch in the last quarter of 2024.
The source said: “All I will say is that we [AMD] don’t have any mandate to get this thing out the door in 2024.”
The source also explained that “we can launch this year if we want to but as far as we are aware, Nvidia is only launching the RTX 5090 this year for an absurd price” — aka AMD might not feel in no need to rush and compete.
If AMD is focused more on the mid-tier market and affordability with the RDNA 4, then Nvidia’s choices may matter less to AMD.
AMD RNDA 4 Features
Ray Tracing Leads the Feature List
Information about the RNDA 4 features is limited, but there have been a number of reported features. These include:
- Double intersect ray tracing engine
- RT instance node transform
- 64B RT node
- Ray tracing Tri Pair optimization
- BVH Footprint Improvement
- Support for OBB and Instance Node Intersection
It is unclear how these will impact the performance and capabilities of the RDNA 4, but we do know they will offer the GPU enhanced ray tracing, making this one that gamers will keep an eye on.
For instance, some experts believe the RDNA will have double the RT units of the RDNA 3 or the ability to process double the amount of ray-triangle intersection calculations.
AMD RNDA 4 Specs
Once again, the information about the RNDA’s specifications is also limited, but arguably been put together by Moore’s Law is Dead, who has provided some leaks about the Navi 48 and Navi 44 versions. The details can be found below:
Navi 48
- Rasterization performance roughly between the RX 7900 XT and RX 7900 XTX
- Die Size estimated at 300-350mm2
- 256-bit memory controller
- 20 Gbps
Navi 44
- Rasterization performance above the RX 7600 XT, but below the RX 7800 XT
- Dize size below 210mm2
- 128-bit memory controller
AMD RNDA 4 vs. AMD RNDA 3
| Feature | AMD RDNA 3 | AMD RDNA 4 (expected) |
| Ray Tracing Engine | Single intersect ray tracing engine | Double intersect ray tracing engine |
| RT Instance Node Transform | Not available | Available |
| 64B RT Node | Not available | Available |
| Ray Tracing Tri Pair Optimization | Not available | Available |
| BVH Footprint Improvement | Not available | Available |
| Support for OBB and Instance Node Intersection | Not available | Available |
| RT Units | Standard | Double the RT units |
| Rasterization Performance (Navi 48) | RX 7900 XT to RX 7900 XTX | Between RX 7900 XT and RX 7900 XTX |
| Die Size (Navi 48) | Estimated at 350-400mm² | Estimated at 300-350mm² |
| Memory Controller (Navi 48) | 256-bit | 256-bit |
| Memory Speed (Navi 48) | 18 Gbps | 20 Gbps |
| Rasterization Performance (Navi 44) | Above RX 6600 XT, below RX 6700 XT | Above RX 7600 XT, below RX 7800 XT |
| Die Size (Navi 44) | Estimated at 200-250mm² | Below 210mm² |
| Memory Controller (Navi 44) | 128-bit | 128-bit |
| Expected Release Date | December 2022 (for RDNA 3-based GPUs) | Late 2024 or early 2025 |
| Ray Tracing Capability | Standard | Enhanced with new optimizations |
| Price (Navi 44) | $300 – $400 | Expected to be under $400 |
| Price (Navi 48) | $500 – $600 | Expected to be around $500 |
AMD RNDA 4 Price
Expected Price: $400-$500
Based on the current leaks, most experts expect the RNDA 4 with the Navi 44 GPU to cost under $400 and the Navi 48 version to cost around $500. This puts the RNDA 4 in the mid-range of the GPU market, offering decent performance at a competitive rate.
RNDA 4: Performance vs. Price
Above all, the early leaks of the RNDA 4’s specs highlight that AMD is investing in enhancing its ray tracing capabilities. Its double intersect ray tracing engine will be key to competing against Nvidia’s GPUs in the future.
That being said, while doubling ray tracing performance would be a big plus for chipmaker, it won’t be enough to match the performance of top Nvidia GPUs like the RTX 5090.
Instead, AMD will need to compete by providing solid performance at an affordable rate. Based on what we know now, the RNDA 4 is well-positioned to do just that.
The Bottom Line
The GPU market is immensely competitive, and AMD is in dire need of a big release. Fortunately for AMD, there has been lots of excitement around the release of the RDNA 4, and if it can deliver on the expectations set by these initial leaks, then it will be a good spot to increase its market share.
