Why AMD RDNA4 Refresh is Likely Cancelled and What It Means for GPU Buyers in 2025

How DRAM Pricing Flipped RDNA4’s Prospects: Memory price spikes have removed previous advantages for AMD’s RDNA4 refresh cards.

Hardware by Tanisha Aria on Dec 06, 2025

When it comes to GPU updates, things have changed quickly due to significant shifts in the global DRAM market. Several leaks that once pointed to possible late-generation releases are now unclear or have become so vague that they can't be believed.

As the price of memory keeps going up, makers are rethinking their release dates, timelines, and whether it makes sense to release upgrades in the middle of a product cycle.

Why AMD RDNA4, Refresh is Likely Cancelled, What It Means for GPU Buyers, NoobFeed

RDNA4 Refresh Outlook Has Deteriorated

As we have been waiting for months for the RDNA4 refresh, we hope to see a product that can fill the performance gap below the top-of-the-line tier. But after hearing from sources repeatedly, we no longer see any positive signs. We had been told earlier about the 9060 GRE 16GB concept.

It was a model made from dies that didn't have as high a yield as a 9070 but were clocked high enough to get speed close to a 9070 XT while using the same amount of power.

We would have loved to see it because it sounded like an interesting part that would cost less than a 9070. But now we hear this model is likely to be canceled.

Radeon isn't telling us anything new about any RDNA4 reboot products, and things have quieted down in general. We won't know for sure until something official comes out, but from what we've heard from various sources, it sounds like many of these update plans have been put on hold.

How DRAM Pricing Flipped RDNA4's Prospects

We just recently discussed how the RDNA4 update differed from Nvidia's possible SUPER lineup. It worked better with GDDR6 instead of the later GDDR7, which seemed like a plus because it was easier to find and the price stayed stable.

But the price of memory has changed so much in the last month that this benefit is no longer valid. Regarding RAM supply, we now think AMD might be behind Nvidia (see below). That's how quickly things are changing.

We don't think it makes sense to wait for RDNA4 to restart, since so much has changed in such a short time. If you really want something, you should probably buy it now, since we don't think AMD will keep pushing those planned updates forward.

GDDR7 Supply Questions and Nvidia's SUPER Series Uncertainty

People asked us how much of the current RAM supply, besides what OpenAI has used, can be used for 3GB GDDR7 modules. The worry is whether Nvidia will be able to get enough of these high-capacity GDDR7 modules by the launch window in Q3, which is meant to be a placeholder for a real SUPER release, not just a paper launch.

Based on what we talked about today, the SUPER series is still alive and well. We didn't hear from anyone who said it was canceled. Some people even said that changes might be coming soon.

But the mood in the room is always the same when we talk to people who are close to the situation: they don't see a way to launch these goods as planned. We also think you should buy now rather than wait for SUPER launches that might not happen, since many Nvidia cards are already going below MSRP.

Why AMD RDNA4, Refresh is Likely Cancelled, What It Means for GPU Buyers, NoobFeed

Could Nvidia Delay the 60-Series?

Also, we're not sure whether Nvidia will be able to release the next-generation 60-class cards at all due to the growing RAM shortage. We are sure that it is possible.

If supply problems and shortages keep happening, Nvidia could choose to release a very small refresh lineup and delay the real 60-series for a much longer cycle. The time between the 50-series and 60-series could even be extended to about 3 years.

We talked about whether they might delay the 6060 and instead push a basic SUPER reboot with the least amount of RAM possible. That situation seems increasingly likely.

When people in the supply chain talk about RAM lead times of 24 months, we wonder how any large-scale GPU launch is possible. It wouldn't surprise us if Nvidia pushed back the start of the next generation to Q1 2027 if they think real RAM won't be available again until late 2028.

Argument Continues to Favor Buying Now

All of these unknowns in the supply line don't mean you should wait. Instead, they say that if you need a GPU, it makes more sense to buy now. AMD and Nvidia don't seem able to provide reliable refreshes in the near future, and the huge problems with DRAM are making plans change too quickly for us to be sure what will happen.

The future isn't set in stone, especially when memory supply determines the whole GPU plan. Even though nothing has been officially canceled, what we've been discussing suggests we shouldn't expect much from refresh lines in the near future.

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