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Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →A 2024 leak attributed to hardware leaker Kepler_L2 pointed to a major change in AMD’s ray-tracing hardware, including a possible doubling of ray-intersection capacity. That document was never an AMD specification, but RDNA 4 has since shipped in the Radeon RX 9000 series. AMD now confirms third-generation ray-tracing accelerators and claims up to twice the ray-tracing throughput per compute unit versus RDNA 3. Sony has also confirmed advanced ray tracing in PS5 Pro, without identifying its custom GPU as a standard RDNA 4 design.
The accurate conclusion is narrower than the original headlines: the leak was directionally credible, RDNA 4 is a substantial Radeon ray-tracing step, and PS5 Pro may share related technology. None of that proves identical hardware or guarantees twice the frame rate.
What the RDNA 4 leak actually claimed
The reported material was a partially redacted data sheet circulated by Kepler_L2 and covered by Tom’s Hardware and PC Gamer. It reportedly indicated:
- A possible doubling of the ray-tracing intersection engine.
- Changes to ray-box and ray-triangle intersection processing.
- More efficient handling of two groups of rays or hierarchy nodes.
- Traversal and memory-behavior improvements.
- A possibility that some features could appear in the custom GPU used by PS5 Pro.
Those were claims about an unclear, redacted document—not an AMD-confirmed architecture guide. Contemporary reporting also cautioned that the material could describe a meaningful uplift without proving a complete redesign of AMD’s ray-tracing units.
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How an intersection-engine change affects a ray-traced frame
Ray tracing is a chain of workloads rather than one operation:
- Ray generation and shaders: The game creates rays and evaluates materials.
- BVH traversal: Hardware searches a bounding-volume hierarchy for geometry a ray might hit.
- Ray-box tests: Candidate hierarchy nodes are rejected or accepted.
- Ray-triangle tests: The GPU checks the actual triangles.
- Shading and denoising: The result is lit, filtered and often reconstructed into the final image.
A faster intersection stage can remove a bottleneck, but it does not make every stage faster. BVH quality, memory latency and bandwidth, shader occupancy, divergent rays, rays-per-pixel, denoising cost and the game engine all affect the final result. Reflections, shadows, global illumination and full path tracing stress those stages differently.
What AMD later confirmed about RDNA 4
AMD announced RDNA 4 on February 28, 2025. Radeon RX 9070 XT and RX 9070 availability began March 6, 2025. AMD’s architecture material identifies third-generation ray-tracing accelerators and claims up to 2× ray-tracing throughput per compute unit compared with RDNA 3. The phrase “per compute unit” is an architectural throughput claim, not a promise of twice the frames per second in every game.
| Card | Compute units | Ray accelerators | AI accelerators | Memory | Total board power | Launch SEP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Radeon RX 9070 XT | 64 | 64 | 128 | 16 GB GDDR6, 256-bit | 304 W | $599, announced February 28, 2025 |
| Radeon RX 9070 | 56 | 56 | 112 | 16 GB GDDR6, 256-bit | 220 W | $549, announced February 28, 2025 |
These specifications come from AMD’s RDNA overview, graphics specifications and RX 9000 quick-reference guide. Board-partner models can vary. The launch prices are historical suggested prices, not verified August 2026 retail prices.
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What the improvement means in actual games
Hybrid ray tracing
Selective reflections, shadows or ambient-occlusion effects layered over rasterized rendering are the least extreme test. More intersection throughput can produce a useful uplift while the rest of the frame remains rasterized, although shader and memory costs still matter.
Ray-traced global illumination
Dynamic lighting sends more rays through a changing scene and requires denoising. Faster traversal and intersections help, but bandwidth, shader work and reconstruction can limit gains.
Path tracing
Path tracing stresses the entire pipeline with many rays and repeated bounces. A doubled intersection figure alone cannot establish parity with competing architectures or guarantee a playable result. Independent reviews should separate conventional RT from path-tracing results and use identical settings, drivers and resolutions.
AMD’s launch comparisons are AMD performance-lab results, with AMD-selected hardware, drivers and settings. They are useful for understanding the company’s target, but are not independent review data.
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Where FSR 4 and AI hardware fit
RDNA 4 also includes second-generation AI accelerators. AMD says FSR 4 uses RDNA 4 FP8 matrix hardware for its machine-learning upscaler; details are in AMD’s launch announcement and FidelityFX technology page.
These functions should not be conflated. Ray accelerators speed ray traversal and intersection. AI accelerators run matrix operations. Upscaling reconstructs a higher-resolution image, while frame generation creates additional displayed frames. Ray reconstruction is another denoising or reconstruction technique. Better upscaling can make an RT mode more practical, but it does not increase the underlying number of rays the GPU can trace.
What the leak tells us about PS5 Pro
Sony’s December 18, 2024 technical seminar confirmed advanced ray-tracing capabilities, custom machine-learning hardware and the PSSR reconstruction system. Sony did not publicly state that PS5 Pro contains a conventional RDNA 4 GPU.
Console silicon is semi-custom. Sony can request particular features, alter cache and memory behavior, and pair the GPU with firmware and developer tools unavailable on desktop cards. Similar ray-tracing functions therefore do not imply identical performance or instruction sets.
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The strongest defensible description is a custom AMD-based console GPU with advanced ray tracing and custom machine-learning hardware. The leak was directionally consistent with Sony’s later announcement and with the timing of RDNA 4 development, but public evidence does not prove that PS5 Pro is “RDNA 4.”
What PS5 Pro games can realistically gain
- Higher-quality reflections or lighting at a similar performance target.
- A better chance of retaining a higher resolution while ray tracing is enabled.
- Improved image reconstruction in games that implement PSSR effectively.
- Game-specific enhancements rather than an automatic upgrade for every title.
Benefits depend on a patch and on the game’s CPU load, engine, memory demands and rendering budget. A title may use its extra hardware for resolution, frame rate or ray tracing—or split the gain among them.
Timeline: leak to shipping hardware
| Date | What happened |
|---|---|
| July 2024 | Reports described leaked RDNA 4 ray-tracing changes and possible PS5 Pro relevance. |
| September 2024 | Sony announced PS5 Pro with advanced ray tracing. |
| December 18, 2024 | Sony’s technical seminar explained advanced RT, PSSR and machine-learning hardware. |
| February 28–March 6, 2025 | AMD announced and then launched RDNA 4 desktop cards, confirming third-generation RT accelerators and the up-to-2× per-CU claim. |
| August 2026 | RDNA 4 is a shipping architecture; PS5 Pro’s exact GPU lineage remains publicly unclassified. |
Buying advice for ray-tracing users
Considering an RX 9070 XT
It is the highest-end RDNA 4 desktop option listed here, with 64 compute units and 16 GB of memory. AMD lists 304 W total board power and a 750 W recommended power supply. It suits buyers who regularly use RT at 1440p or 4K and want FSR 4, provided independent game tests and current pricing support the purchase.
Considering an RX 9070
It retains the RDNA 4 feature family and 16 GB memory with 56 compute units, 220 W total board power and a 650 W recommended power supply. It is the more restrained choice when the XT’s extra throughput or power draw is not justified.
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Already using RX 7000
Upgrade pressure is strongest for owners of RT-heavy games, 4K displays or workloads that benefit from FSR 4. A mostly rasterized 1080p or esports library may not justify replacing a functioning card.
Choosing PS5 Pro
Look first at the games you play and whether they have PS5 Pro patches. The console is compelling for a living-room library that benefits from Sony’s optimized profile, PSSR and advanced RT. It is not a drop-in substitute for a desktop RX 9070 XT: the platforms have different memory arrangements, power envelopes, software stacks and upgrade paths.
How to judge future claims
- Strong evidence: AMD architecture and specification documents, Sony technical presentations, independent silicon analysis and documented developer presentations.
- Medium-strength evidence: Independent reviews using matched RT workloads, developer comments and public driver or compiler documentation.
- Weak evidence: Cropped slides of unclear provenance, anonymous posts and theoretical frame-rate projections based only on intersection counts.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does PS5 Pro use an RDNA 4 GPU?
Sony has confirmed advanced ray tracing and custom machine-learning hardware, but has not publicly identified the console GPU as a standard RDNA 4 implementation. Calling it a custom AMD-based design is more accurate.
Does AMD’s 2× ray-tracing claim mean twice the FPS?
No. AMD’s claim is up to 2× ray-tracing throughput per compute unit versus RDNA 3. Frame rates also depend on shaders, memory, denoising, ray count, resolution and the game engine.
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No. The $599 and $549 figures are AMD’s February 2025 launch suggested prices. Current August 2026 street prices are not established here.
The Bottom Line
The leak anticipated AMD’s strategic shift toward stronger ray tracing, and RDNA 4 delivered a real hardware improvement in shipping Radeon cards. PS5 Pro’s advanced RT is confirmed, but its GPU should not be labeled standard RDNA 4 without first-party evidence. Buy on independent game benchmarks, supported features, power needs and verified prices—not on the leak’s intersection-engine figure alone.
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