AMD RX 6700 XT launches, availability is no surprise

The latest graphics card to enter the GPU frenzy is now out. The AMD RX 6700 XT launched this morning and poofed just as we all pretty much expected. It’s hard to say how many units were available, but no amount seems able to overcome the scalpers and miners. Nothing we’ve heard about the GPU situation potentially improving has managed to pan out yet. Still, things will change. Eventually.

As of now though, you can see a very familiar sight of overpriced and out of stock RX 6700 XT cards across the internet. This is the result of nearly too many variables to account for at this point. Overwhelming gamer demand, DDR6 shortages, shipping constraints, tariffs, and the obvious miner plague are all eating away at the potential for upgrading PC hardware.

Mining is no doubt one of the headlining culprits at this point. With the prices of Ethereum and related currencies still at all-time highs, the overall situation will likely continue to remain bad unless prices collapse.

A familiar sight on Newegg.

As for the product itself

All in all, the 6700 XT is a great card, but the launch price leaves much to be desired. This is certainly due to the previously mentioned factors, and AMD would be leaving money on the table if it didn’t try to sell its cards for more than last generation. At $80 over the price of the 5700 XT, it’s not much of a deal given the performance gains, even at the MSRP. We all know the cards will sell regardless of price though, so there you have it.

The RX 6700 XT could be an excellent option for gamers if it ever becomes available around sub $450 prices. Ideally closer to $400. At that point, it could offer an excellent, value-friendly gaming experience in either 1080p or 1440p. The card leaves a bit to be desired in terms of 4K and ray tracing performance. In that regard, you’re better off with Nvidia (Ampere is a better architecture for 4K while RTX is also superior for ray tracing) or the RX 5800 or better AMD models.

AMD did a little cherry picking with its benchmarks. It’s not a bad card still.

If you’re intent to get a new graphics card as soon as possible, good luck to you. Be sure to consider all of the AIB options and remember that Micro Center only does in-store sales at the moment. At least you can beat the bots there.

Please note that all prices are in USD.