Nvidia has reportedly pulled the plug on its GeForce RTX 5070 Ti and 5060 Ti 16GB graphics cards, with the company's largest AIB partner, ASUS, confirming both models are officially end of life. This means no more production or restocks from ASUS, and retailers are already seeing supplies dry up with no new shipments expected for the foreseeable future. It’s the silicon equivalent of a ghost ship, with inventory levels dropping faster than a Bitcoin price on a Sunday night.
As a result, prices are surging. In the US, the RTX 5070 Ti has jumped from $730 to $830, while in Australia it's climbed from AU$1,200 to AU$1,400. The RTX 5060 Ti 16GB has seen an even steeper climb, from $400 to as high as $530 for certain models, as availability dwindles. If you were waiting for a "fair deal," you might want to check the timestamp on that thought, because we are officially in "send it" territory for scalpers.
The decision is being attributed to skyrocketing VRAM costs and supply chain pressures, pushing Nvidia to prioritize its lower-VRAM 8GB models like the RTX 5060 and 5060 Ti 8GB. This move helps preserve margins in the face of expensive GDDR7 memory. Even the RTX 5070, with its 12GB of VRAM, is facing reduced supply and rising costs, with MSRP units becoming scarce. It’s a classic degen pivot: cut the heavy bags (16GB) and pump the lighter ones (8GB) to keep the revenue chart looking green, regardless of what it does to the consumer’s wallet.
This shift leaves gamers seeking more future-proof options frustrated, as the market looks set to pivot back to 8GB GPUs. Compounding the issue, the rumored RTX 50 Super series remains delayed or potentially scrapped due to the same memory cost issues. It feels like a rug pull on the roadmap, leaving users holding the bag on hardware that might be obsolete before the next epoch even hits.
Meanwhile, AMD's Radeon cards, like the RX 7900 XT, are also seeing price increases but haven't faced similar end-of-life cuts. This could give AMD a window to gain market share in the $500–$700 range, especially since their RDNA4 cards use cheaper GDDR6 memory, potentially allowing for more stable supply. However, analysts are skeptical that AMD will fully capitalize, and some retailers even fear AMD might follow Nvidia's lead and discontinue key models, further limiting consumer choice. It’s the classic crypto bear market vibe: everyone is looking for the exit liquidity, but the exchange just paused withdrawals.
