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- AMD’s latest announcements and product launches have been misleading, such as the RX 7000 series GPUs that were advertised to be faster than they were.
- A few products were delayed after being announced. The most recent delays were for the Ryzen 9000 series processors, and now, the Ryzen 9000X3D CPUs won’t be released until CES 2025.
- FSR 3 was announced 11 months before it was launched, and it only supported two games at its launch.
- Not every recent launch has been a disaster for AMD, like the Ryzen 7 5800X3D CPU, which delivered the same performance it advertised.
I’ve been following AMD’s launches for the past few years, and while they were going great until the Ryzen 5000 series, the recent ones have been disappointments, one after another. AMD keeps botching its launches, from the RX 7900 XTX and RX 7900 XT to the RX 7700 XT, FSR 3, Anti-Lag marketing, and others. Of course, let’s not forget how the latest Ryzen 9000 series processor launch got delayed. However, not all the launches were devastating. Let’s take a look at a few recent launches.
The Misguided Marketing Strategies
One of AMD’s biggest strengths over the years has been its marketing strategies. However, recent launches have shown a significant disconnect between its promises and the reality presented later. Let’s take FSR 3, for example. The technology was supposed to answer NVIDIA’s DLSS, but on its initial launch, it was broken and only came with two games: Forspoken and Immortals of Aveum.
Similarly, most of the RX 7000 series GPUs were marketed as competitors for NVIDIA’s top RTX 4000 series graphics cards, but even the RX 7900 XTX was no match for NVIDIA’s top dog. According to the official announcement, the RX 7900 XTX would be 1.7x faster than the RX 6950 XT, but our testing showed otherwise. Here’s a graph to showcase various GPUs compared against one another at 1080p, 1440p, and 4K resolutions.
Delays And Impact On Consumer Trust
Another reason AMD keeps botching its launches is the constant delays in product releases. I’ll quote FSR 3’s launch once again. AMD’s first mistake was announcing the technology too early, in November 2022, alongside RDNA3. In reality, FSR 3 launched at the end of September 2023, almost 11 months later. Not only did this crumble the initial hype of the technology, but enthusiasts also got annoyed due to such a long delay.
Similarly, the latest Ryzen 9000 series processors got delayed for 15 days when their initial launch was on July 30, 2024. The processors launched a few days ago, with the Ryzen 7 9700X and Ryzen 5 9600X launching on August 8 and the Ryzen 9 9950X and Ryzen 9 9900X launching on August 15. Moreover, the Ryzen 9000X3D CPUs won’t be released till CES 2025, unlike the previous late 2024 date.
All of these delays and changes in announcements negatively impact AMD when it needs a boost in market share and to compete with its rivals. Honestly, I have learned to take every AMD announcement with a tablespoon of salt because the reality of its words is not guaranteed.
Bright Spots Among The Missteps
While there’s lots to bash AMD on, not every recent launch has been terrible by the company. A recent example has to be the announcement for the Ryzen 7 7800X3D CPU. During the announcement, they announced it was the “ultimate gaming processor” and performed, on average, 15% faster than the Ryzen 7 5800X3D. According to our testing, the CPU performs as advertised and goes head-to-head with Intel’s flagship processors.
Similarly, the Zen 4 announcement was decent, even though the launch didn’t go as planned due to the higher price points of RAM and motherboards. While some performance numbers were exaggerated, most were accurate, providing gamers with what was marketed. Additionally, the CPUs were adequately priced, providing decent value and performance.
Can AMD Turn It Around?
AMD has been making too many mistakes recently, with poor announcements, sloppy product launches, and a complete disconnect between the company and its customers. Better alignment between the marketing and actual performance of new products is one of the most important things the company needs to consider.
AMD has a loyal fan base; however, if it keeps botching its launches, the company risks losing the market share it has worked so hard for. It’s time for AMD to refocus on its marketing strategies and ensure that its next round of product launches is flawless and exceeds all expectations. Besides, it’s not an overstatement that AMD has provided some fantastic products that have competed and beat its competition over the years.
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[Reviews Specialist]
Usman Saleem brings 8+ years of comprehensive PC hardware expertise to the table. His journey in the tech world has involved in-depth tech analysis and insightful PC hardware reviews, perfecting over 6+ years of dedicated work. Usman’s commitment to staying authentic and relevant in the field is underscored by many professional certifications, including a recent one in Google IT Support Specialization.
8+ years of specialized PC hardware coverage
6+ years of in-depth PC hardware analysis and reviews
Lead PC hardware expert across multiple tech journalism platforms
Certified in Google IT Support Specialization
Get In Touch: usman@tech4gamers.com
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