MSI skips RDNA 4 and will not manufacture AMD Radeon 9000-series GPUs

The Radeon RX 9070 and RX 9070 XT are among the best graphics cards. However, not all the usual vendors have embraced AMD's Radeon RX 9000-series (RDNA 4) lineup. MSI has confirmed that it chose to forgo this generation of AMD Radeon graphics cards.

We contacted MSI to determine if the company had plans to release any Radeon 9000-series graphics cards utilizing the RDNA 4 architecture. A company representative responded to Tom's Hardware, saying, "Regarding your question, MSI is not manufacturing AMD GPUs this generation."

The statement suggests that MSI's decision isn't restricted to the Radeon RX 9070 series that has recently come out of the oven. We infer that it encompasses RDNA 4 as a whole, considering MSI's use of the phrase "this generation." Whatever the core reasons, MSI isn't saying, and this doesn't mean there won't be future AMD-based graphics cards from the company. But for now, MSI doesn't plan to offer any RDNA 4-based graphics cards.

If we analyze the last three generations of Radeon graphics cards, it's evident that MSI was a devoted AMD partner until the launch of the Radeon RX 7000-series (RDNA 3). For instance, the shift from the Radeon RX 5000-series (RDNA) to the Radeon RX 6000-series (RDNA 2) resulted in a 50% increase in the number of models available. However, you can argue that the Radeon RX 6000 refresh helped boost the numbers. Excluding the refreshed models would reduce the RDNA 2 total to 33 different models, still amounting to a 10% increase over RDNA.

Things took a turn for the worse with RDNA 3, as MSI offered only four custom models: one Radeon RX 7900 XTX, one Radeon RX 7900 XT, and two Radeon RX 7600. This marked a significant 91% decrease in models compared to RDNA 2. MSI even neglected to release custom models for other RDNA 3 SKUs, such as the Radeon RX 7800 XT, Radeon RX 7700 XT, or the Radeon RX 7600 XT.

In a way, the writings were always on the wall that MSI could participate less in AMD's graphics card launches. MSI did not partner with AMD for a few product launches in the last generation, like the Radeon RX 7800 XT. The brand didn't put out any new designs but salvaged coolers from the previous generation. The Radeon RX 7900 XTX Gaming Trio Classic 24G utilized a recycled cooler that stemmed from the Radeon RX 6900 XT Gaming Trio Plus 16G.

MSI did not specify why it isn't producing AMD RDNA 4 graphics cards, though we can speculate on several possible reasons.

One key thought is that MSI may want to become a premiere Nvidia partner to fill the void that EVGA has left behind. Skipping RDNA 4 means MSI can allocate all the company's resources toward the latest GeForce RTX 50-series (Blackwell) graphics cards and potentially receive better pricing or special incentives. According to the latest Steam Hardware and Software survey, Nvidia remains a dominant force in the graphics card market, with a usage share of 83.07% compared to AMD's 11.49% from September 2023 to February 2025.

Perhaps MSI's decision not to offer RDNA 4 graphics cards is related to demand. The company likely ran the numbers and determined that the ROI didn't warrant the brand's involvement this generation. That might seem difficult to understand, given the strong demand that has left the Radeon RX 9070 series nearly sold out worldwide, but that's all in hindsight. MSI likely made a decision on this a year or more in the past, when it wasn't clear that Nvidia supply would be lower than normal resulting in more demand for alternative options. It seems like a missed opportunity for MSI in retrospect.

We've also heard rumblings (not from MSI) that AMD didn't disclose its intended MSRPs for the 9070 series until that information was given in AMD's live presentation — that the AIB partners were simply supposed to assume that the recommended pricing would leave enough margin. If that's true, it's just one more reason for a partner to balk. Conversely, we also have Acer entering the U.S. market and elsewhere as an AMD (and Intel) GPU provider, potentially taking over MSI's former spot.

Whatever the case, MSI hasn't disclosed any plans for future AMD graphics cards. We'll have to wait and see if RDNA 5 (UDNA 1?) can persuade MSI to hop back on the AMD train, or if MSI ultimately transforms into the new EVGA.

Zhiye Liu is a news editor and memory reviewer at Tom’s Hardware. Although he loves everything that’s hardware, he has a soft spot for CPUs, GPUs, and RAM.