It's only been a week since AMD launched its Radeon 9070 and 9070 XT graphics cards, but the company's partners are already inflating prices, contradicting the initial Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) claims. The move has raised eyebrows, with many retailers quietly increasing prices by $50-$130 on the supposedly entry-level MSRP models of these graphics cards.

Newegg, Overclockers UK, and Micro Center are among the outlets that have modified their pricetags ahead of new shipments. For instance, Newegg now lists PowerColor's 9070 XT Reaper at $700, a $100 jump from the initial MSRP of $600. Similarly, XFX's 9070 XT Swift is now priced at $730, a $130 increase. ASRock's 9070 XT Steel Legend has seen a $70 price hike to $670.

These price increases are not limited to the XT models. The standard Radeon 9070 has also seen significant price hikes. Micro Center now lists XFX's 9070 Swift OC at $630, an $80 jump from the initial MSRP of $550. Gigabyte's 9070 Gaming OC has seen a $130 price increase to $670.

It's worth noting that not every retailer has changed their prices, and some models are still listed at MSRP. Best Buy, which only listed a single model of the 9070 and 9070 XT at MSRP, hasn't changed those prices yet, although they're still out of stock. Micro Center also still lists three models of 9070 and four models of 9070 XT at MSRP, although all are out of stock.

This development raises questions about AMD's initial claims of making these graphics cards available at affordable prices. When asked about the price increases, AMD told us that "we expect cards to be available from multiple vendors at $549 / $599," but didn't specify which board partners or retailers would agree to offer cards at those prices, or how few those partners would need to sell at those prices before charging more.

In contrast, Nvidia's RTX 5070, RTX 5070 Ti, and RTX 5080 graphics cards, which were also launched recently, don't seem to be affected by similar price increases at major US retailers. Best Buy, Newegg, and Micro Center are still listing the ones they stock at MSRP.

This price inflation has significant implications for gamers and PC enthusiasts who were looking forward to affordable graphics card options. It remains to be seen how AMD will respond to this development and whether the company will take steps to ensure that its partners adhere to the initial MSRP claims.