Radeon GPU Prices Going Up? What the GDDR6 Report Means

Are Radeon GPU prices going up again? Two reports from the past few days point that way. On October 8, 2026, VideoCardz and TechPowerUp reported higher fourth-quarter suggested prices for several Radeon cards in China. On October 10, BenchLife, Wccftech and TechPowerUp added that AMD raised the price of the GDDR6 memory it supplies to its board partners, effective October 1. Both claims trace back to the Chinese industry forum Board Channels.

Has AMD responded? Not publicly. VideoCardz says AMD has yet to confirm the pricing changes, and TechPowerUp says AMD hasn’t confirmed the GDDR6 increase. We found no public statement from AMD as of October 12, 2026.

Why are Radeon GPU prices going up?

AMD sells its graphics chips to partners such as Sapphire, PowerColor or XFX bundled with the memory, so a more expensive GDDR6 kit usually ends up in the price of the finished card, as TechPowerUp explains. BenchLife says memory is now likely the most expensive part of a graphics card, and that passive components, power-control chips and even circuit boards are also costing more and taking longer to arrive. Wccftech expects the current Radeon RX 9000 series to feel it most, since older GDDR6 Radeon generations are discontinued or produced in lower volumes.

This would not be the first increase this year. TechPowerUp notes a reported 10% hike on Radeon GPU kits in July and a report in September of another 10% increase tied to rising TSMC wafer costs. BenchLife also reports that Intel has raised the price of GDDR6 it supplies to its Arc partners. On the NVIDIA side, the same reports say NVIDIA has not notified its partners of a new GDDR7 price increase and may not change memory pricing again this year, after already raising GDDR6 and GDDR7 kit prices in July.

Image credit: AMD

Which Radeon cards could cost more?

According to the Board Channels table published by VideoCardz, these are AMD’s alleged new Q4 suggested prices in China (USD equivalents as converted by VideoCardz):

• Radeon RX 9070 XT: ¥6,999 (~$1,044 USD), unchanged
• Radeon RX 9070: ¥6,299 (~$939 USD), up ¥700 (~$104 USD)
• Radeon RX 9070 GRE: ¥4,999 (~$746 USD), up ¥400 (~$60 USD)
• Radeon RX 9060 XT 16GB: ¥4,899 (~$731 USD), up ¥600 (~$89 USD)
• Radeon RX 9060 XT 8GB: ¥3,390 (~$506 USD), up ¥300 (~$45 USD)
• Radeon RX 7650 GRE: ¥2,999 (~$447 USD), up ¥400 (~$60 USD)
• Radeon RX 6500 XT: ¥1,599 (~$238 USD), unchanged

These are suggested prices for the Chinese market, and they do not translate directly to North American shelf prices. The useful signal is the direction: under this list, the RX 9070 now costs only ¥700 less than the RX 9070 XT.

How much do Radeon cards cost right now?

Street prices are already well above launch prices. In its GPU price tracker updated October 8, 2026, Tom’s Hardware listed these best U.S. prices (launch prices as listed by the tracker):

• Radeon RX 9070 XT: $831 USD (launch price $599)
• Radeon RX 9070: $699 USD (launch price $549)
• Radeon RX 9070 GRE: $549 USD (launch price $549)
• Radeon RX 9060 XT 16GB: $519 USD (launch price $349)
• Radeon RX 9060 XT 8GB: $459 USD (launch price $299)

For comparison, the same tracker listed the GeForce RTX 5070 at $799 USD and the RTX 5070 Ti at $1,179 USD. Prices move daily and vary by retailer, so treat these as a snapshot, not a quote.

When could prices change in Canada and the U.S.?

No one knows yet. AMD has not announced any price change for North America, and TechPowerUp says it is unknown how much or how soon store prices outside China will move. VideoCardz notes that AMD reportedly informed partners about adjustments for international markets too, and that Board Channels pricing updates usually reach distributors and retailers first. Inventory already on store shelves can delay any change, so it would likely appear gradually and unevenly from one brand, retailer and region to the next. Sales taxes also vary by province, territory and state.

Should you buy a Radeon GPU now or wait?

Every report this month points to higher costs, not lower ones, so waiting for a Radeon price drop is a gamble right now.

Buy now if you need a graphics card or a new gaming PC in the coming weeks and find a price you are comfortable with. Compare the RX 9070 and RX 9070 XT closely: the reported Q4 list narrows the gap between them, and the RX 9070 XT is the only RX 9000 model on that list left unchanged. Browse our graphics cards, our ready-to-play gaming PCs, or configure a custom PC around the card you want.

Wait if your current GPU still runs your games well. Nothing is confirmed, and the reports cover partner costs and Chinese suggested prices, not North American retail prices. Just don’t count on a quick drop: TechPowerUp, BenchLife and Wccftech all describe rising memory and component costs.

FAQ

Did AMD raise Radeon GPU prices?

Not officially. Reports say AMD raised GDDR6 costs for its board partners on October 1 and set higher Q4 suggested prices in China, but AMD has not publicly confirmed either change.

Is the RX 9070 XT getting more expensive?

Not according to the reported Q4 list for China, where the RX 9070 XT is unchanged. Its U.S. street price was already $831 USD on October 8, according to Tom’s Hardware.

Is NVIDIA raising GeForce memory prices too?

Not this time, according to the same reports: NVIDIA has not notified partners of a new GDDR7 increase. TechPowerUp notes NVIDIA already raised GDDR6 and GDDR7 kit prices in July.

What did the RX 9070 XT and RX 9070 cost at launch?

$599 USD (~855 $ CA, estimated) for the RX 9070 XT and $549 USD (~783 $ CA, estimated) for the RX 9070. The CAD figures use the Bank of Canada rate of about 1.43 CAD per USD (October 9, 2026); they are not Canadian list prices.

Sources: VideoCardz, TechPowerUp (October 8), TechPowerUp (October 10), Wccftech, BenchLife, Tom’s Hardware, Bank of Canada. Image credit: AMD