I've always been a PC enthusiast, driven by the pursuit of maximizing performance from every component. My journey began at a young age, tinkering with my own build and eventually building PCs for friends and family, which led me to a career path in computer science, with a focus on cloud computing and networking. I'm also a semi-pro Counter-Strike veteran, so I'm well-versed in all things peripherals.
I'm particularly fond of my RDNA 4 GPU, the Radeon RX 9070 XT. It's an excellent choice, running cool, undervolting exceptionally well, and delivering impressive performance at 1440p. When I purchased my GPU, waiting for the RDNA 4 release seemed like a wise decision, but AMD's recent statement regarding driver support for RDNA 1 and 2 architectures has left me feeling disappointed as a consumer.
AMD has traditionally catered to buyers seeking value and long-lasting performance for their money. Considering RDNA 2 GPUs were still on the market this year, I'm questioning whether my trust in AMD was misplaced.
The initial statement from AMD was confusing and concerning. Why would they discontinue support for cards that are still relevant?
On October 29th, AMD released Adrenalin driver version 25.10.2, and the patch notes included a statement that has since been removed: "New Game Support and Expanded Vulkan Extensions Support is available to Radeon RX 7000 and 9000 series graphics products." This sparked immediate concern among enthusiasts, leading AMD to clarify their stance to pcgameshardware.de, stating that RDNA and RDNA-2 cards would only receive updates for critical safety issues and bug fixes.
This clarification created an uproar, with many users expressing their disappointment. AMD quickly responded, stating that "maintenance mode" would include new features, bug fixes, and game optimizations based on market needs. They followed up with a blog post titled "Continued Support for Every Radeon Gamer," reiterating that RX 5000 and 6000 GPUs would continue to be supported but on a separate driver branch from RDNA 3 and 4 GPUs.
It's hard to reconcile AMD's actions with their original value proposition. It's possible that the initial statement was a misunderstanding, but their reference to "market needs" suggests otherwise.
When should market demands dictate support for recently released hardware? RDNA 2 GPUs launched as late as 2023 with the RX 6750 GRE, and they're still available for purchase. It doesn't make sense to end support for capable cards that perform well in today's triple-A titles.
AMD's marketing for RX 5000 and RX 6000 GPUs emphasized the extra VRAM over Nvidia's offerings, promising buyers an edge in longevity. Ending game optimization support for these GPUs feels like a betrayal of that promise.
Nvidia, in contrast, has been more consistent with their driver support. The RTX 20 series still receives support, and security updates for Maxwell, Pascal, and Volta GPUs will continue until October 2028. Nvidia's commitment to driver support is impressive, especially compared to AMD's meager five-year (or two-year) support for RDNA 2 owners.
I hope AMD honors their commitment to provide optimizations for all architectures. Consumers need genuine competition in the GPU space, and while the RX 9000 series is a step in the right direction, abandoning support for a large portion of their customer base, many of whom are loyal AMD buyers, is a significant misstep.
AMD's achievements in the handheld APU space with RDNA 2 are notable, but I'm hesitant to invest in a handheld or desktop GPU with an older architecture. I won't be switching back to Nvidia anytime soon, but if I were an RDNA 1 or 2 owner, I'd understand the appeal of going green for my next purchase.
AMD's apparent miscommunication on driver support has left me cautious about my own GPU's future. I love my RX 9070 XT, but I can't help but wonder how long it will be before AMD considers my card ready for "maintenance mode." I won't be making a switch just yet, but it's a concern that hangs over my head.
