With RDNA 4, AMD has quietly delivered one of its most important generational upgrades—not in raw gaming performance, but in media encoding. The new architecture introduces hardware-accelerated AV1 encoding with full B-frame support, a long-standing feature gap that previously pushed streamers and video professionals toward NVIDIA’s NVENC ecosystem.
Powered by the VCN 5.0 (Video Core Next) engine and debuting in Navi 48 GPUs such as the Radeon RX 9070 and RX 9070 XT, this upgrade fundamentally changes AMD’s standing in content creation workflows.
🎥 AV1 B-Frames: Why This Matters #
The addition of B-frames (Bi-predictive frames) is the defining capability of VCN 5.0.
B-frames reference both previous and future frames during compression, allowing the encoder to dramatically reduce redundant data. The result is higher visual quality at lower bitrates, especially in motion-heavy scenes.
Key implications include:
- Bandwidth Efficiency: AV1 with B-frames delivers noticeably better quality at the same bitrate compared to RDNA 3’s I/P-only AV1 encoding.
- Streaming-Ready: As platforms like YouTube and Twitch increasingly prioritize AV1, RDNA 4 enables high-quality 1440p and 4K streaming without saturating upload links.
- Professional Validation: Early support surfaced in AMD GPUOpen, confirming compatibility with OBS, FFmpeg, and HandBrake, signaling readiness for real-world creator pipelines.
For the first time, AMD users can leverage AV1 without accepting a quality or efficiency penalty versus NVENC.
🧩 Navi 48 vs. Navi 44: Media Feature Segmentation #
AMD appears to be drawing a clear architectural line within the RDNA 4 family.
-
Navi 48 (RX 9070 / 9070 XT)
- Full VCN 5.0 implementation
- Dual-width hardware encoders
- AV1 encoding with I / P / B frames
-
Navi 44 (RX 9060 / 9050, rumored)
- Cost-optimized media block
- Likely retains AV1 decode support
- Hardware AV1 encoding may be limited or simplified to reduce die area
This mirrors AMD’s historical approach: flagship silicon receives full creator-focused capabilities, while entry-level parts prioritize gaming value.
🎮🎬 One GPU for Gaming and Creation #
With RDNA 4, AMD is positioning the RX 9070 XT as a true hybrid GPU—capable in both games and creative workloads.
- Gaming Performance: Rasterization performance competes directly with RTX 4080-class GPUs, with RDNA 4 also narrowing the ray-tracing efficiency gap.
- Encoding Quality: AMD reports up to a 25% improvement in low-latency H.264 and H.265 quality, benefiting streamers who still rely on legacy codecs.
- Throughput Gains: Dual encoders enable higher resolution and frame rate encoding without stalling the render pipeline.
| Feature | RDNA 3 (VCN 4.0) | RDNA 4 (VCN 5.0) |
|---|---|---|
| AV1 Encoding | I / P Frames | I / P / B Frames |
| Encoding Throughput | Baseline | ~2× Higher |
| AVC / HEVC Quality | Standard | ~25% Improvement |
| Latency Profile | General | Optimized for Low-Latency |
🔗 Platform-Level Synergy #
The RDNA 4 media upgrade does not exist in isolation—it aligns with AMD’s broader 2025 platform strategy.
- FSR 4: ML-powered upscaling pairs naturally with improved encoder quality, enhancing both rendered and streamed output.
- Ryzen 9000X3D CPUs: High-core-count Zen 5 processors like the Ryzen 9 9950X3D ensure encoding, AI tasks, and gameplay can run concurrently without contention.
- Unified Creator Stack: With competitive GPU encoding and strong CPU multi-threading, AMD now offers a credible end-to-end alternative for streamers and video professionals.
🧭 Conclusion #
AV1 B-frame support in RDNA 4 is more than a checklist feature—it removes one of AMD’s most persistent disadvantages in the creator ecosystem. With VCN 5.0, AMD GPUs finally deliver modern, efficient, and platform-ready video encoding that stands shoulder-to-shoulder with NVENC.
For gamers who stream, creators who game, and professionals who demand open standards without compromise, RDNA 4 marks a quiet but decisive turning point.