AMD's RDNA 4 gaming-GPUs-for-the-people expected to launch at CES in January

AMD will roll out its new budget-friendly RDNA GPUs, designed to win back major market share from Nvidia, at the CES show in January. So says Benchlife (via Igor's Lab) and if correct it will very likely mean AMD's next mainstream GPUs beat Nvidia's competing chips to market by as much as six months.

The Taiwanese website claims that graphics card makers, otherwise known as AIBs or add-in board manufacturers, have begun boot testing their RDNA 4 cards using AMD's upcoming Navi 48 and Navi 44 GPUs in preparation for that CES launch.

As Andy reported a couple of days ago, AMD recently confirmed rumours that RDNA 4 will not target the high end. Instead, AMD wants the new GPUs to be affordable for millions of gamers, not just «people who can afford Porsches and Ferraris».

AMD's senior vice president and general manager of the Computing and Graphics Business group Jack Huyhn also explained that the aim is to increase AMD's GPU market share from around 19% today to more like 40% or even 50%.

Given that enthusiast-class graphics cards only make up a small proportion of the market, it's certainly true that any attempt to gain that much market share would ultimately come down to selling a lot more mainstream gaming graphics cards. The only question is how to get there.

AMD's most obvious route, and the one it appears to be taking, is to double down on the mainstream market and make the best possible GPU at a price more gamers can afford—while allowing Nvidia to dominate a high-end market that might be lucrative in narrow terms, but doesn't amount to very many gamers.

Huyhn essentially says AMD needs to be able to show game developers that lots of gamers use AMD GPUs in order to encourage them to put the effort into optimising for AMD GPUs.

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This all absolutely makes sense. What's more, if AMD does indeed roll out RDNA 4 in January at the CES, odds are the GPUs will go on sale