Did Asus just kill our hopes of a cheap AMD Radeon RX 6500 XT GPU?

Lisa Su giving a keynote speech at CES 2022
(Image credit: AMD)

At CES 2022, AMD showed off the budget Radeon RX 6500 XT graphics card, which the company said would sell for just $199 (around £147, AU$275) – but it looks like that promise is already unravelling.

As Wccftech reports, it appears Asus has further dashed hopes of the AMD Radeon RX 6500 XT actually selling for $199, with Andreas Schilling of Hardwareluxx apparently getting confirmation from the third party GPU manufacturer that its entry-level Asus Radeon RX 6500 XT Dual will actually sell for €299 (around $340, £250, AU$470).

It will also launch a premium TUF Gaming edition, which will apparently cost €334 (around $380, £280, AU$530).

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More bad news

If these prices are real, then it’s more bad news for people hoping to get hold of an AMD Radeon RX 6500 XT for $199. This follows reports from a few days ago that retailers in France were listing the Radeon RX 6500 XT for €299.

While we don’t have any leaks for US prices yet, it’s looking increasingly likely that many entry level models of the AMD Radeon RX 6500 XT won’t be selling for the $199 price. AMD’s claims could have been too good to be true.


Analysis: Do we give up hope?

So, will we ever see a $199 AMD Radeon RX 6500 XT? While it’s looking unlikely, there is still hope. Plenty of third parties will be making this GPU, so there will be scope for price differences. Just because Asus may price its version high, doesn’t mean another manufacturer like ASRock will as well. Still, we can’t deny that these recent leaks have given us some concern.

Still, AMD seemed pretty bullish when it announced the $199 price point. In these uncertain times, with GPU prices rarely hitting MSRP due to stock shortages and high demand, it was certainly a bold promise for a GPU that AMD claims will offer up to 35% faster performance compared to the Nvidia GTX 1650.

The AMD Radeon RX 6500 XT will launch on January 19, so we don’t have long to wait to see if any of the models will sell for $199. For PC builders on a budget, however, we suggest you don’t get your hopes up just yet.

Matt Hanson
Managing Editor, Core Tech

Matt is TechRadar's Managing Editor for Core Tech, looking after computing and mobile technology. Having written for a number of publications such as PC Plus, PC Format, T3 and Linux Format, there's no aspect of technology that Matt isn't passionate about, especially computing and PC gaming. Ever since he got an Amiga A500+ for Christmas in 1991, he's loved using (and playing on) computers, and will talk endlessly about how The Secret of Monkey Island is the best game ever made.