The RAM Scarcity May Be Killing Nvidia’s Most cost-effective GPU for 4K Gaming

The demand for 4K-ready graphics playing cards from each Nvidia and AMD hasn’t slowed by any measure. Neither have the costs on top-end GPUs. Costs will doubtless worsen within the new yr because of the ongoing reminiscence scarcity. One of Nvidia’s main board companions is reportedly shelving one of many few playing cards that’s highly effective sufficient for taking part in on the highest resolutions.

The GeForce RTX 5070 Ti GPU is Nvidia’s gateway for 4K gaming on PC. The GPU has the 16GB of VRAM essential to help titles at increased resolutions, although usually with the necessity to fine-tune graphics settings when you additionally wish to push ray tracing for extra real looking lighting results.

The Hardware Unboxed YouTube channel reported that Asus has explicitly mentioned it was inserting its add-in-card (AIC) RTX 5070 Ti into end-of-life standing. Essentially, no matter current Asus 5070 Ti GPUs are on retailer cabinets would be the final stock accessible, not less than for now. That would ostensibly account for each the playing cards beneath the TUF Gaming and Prime branding. In a press release offered to Gizmodo, an Asus rep mentioned the corporate “cannot confirm the news put out by Hardware Unboxed” and added, “No US PR spokesperson would have spoken to distribution plans for Nvidia’s general distribution strategy.”

There have been sufficient rumors floating round about Nvidia GPU shortage to make any PC gamer wince, although that is the primary time we’re listening to from an AIB (add-in-board) accomplice successfully confirming there’s dwindling stock. Major reminiscence makers, together with Samsung, SK Hynix, and Micron, have all tuned their operations to producing high-end reminiscence for AI information facilities. This has induced an enormous scarcity in each RAM and—more and more—SSD and NAND storage. GPUs make use of VRAM, aka video random entry reminiscence, to assist render and show 3D graphics on PCs. More VRAM is critical for increased resolutions, like 1440p and 4K.

The RTX 5060 Ti might also be taking successful

Nvidia could also be prioritizing choose GPUs in its stack relying on how a lot VRAM is inside it. The 5070 Ti solely had choices for 16GB of VRAM. However, the 5060 Ti has each 8GB and 16GB choices. In a Facebook post, the Chinese-language media outlet HKEPC (through VideoCardz and browse with machine translation) mentioned Nvidia will prioritize lower-end GPUs with solely 8GB of VRAM. The RTX 5060 will get deprioritized in favor of its extra highly effective cousin. Meanwhile, the top-end RTX 5080 and RTX 5090 will nonetheless have broader availability. The RTX 5070 sports activities 12GB of VRAM, although sources have much less to say about the way forward for that mid-range GPU.

Retailers could have little capability to buy RTX 5070 Ti or RTX 5060 Ti GPUs, in keeping with Hardware Unboxed. What’s extra regarding is that the one GPUs accessible in “any reasonable quantities” could also be variations with 8GB of VRAM.

In an electronic mail assertion offered to Gizmodo, Nvidia mentioned, “Demand for GeForce RTX GPUs is strong, and memory supply is constrained. We continue to ship all GeForce SKUs and are working closely with our suppliers to maximize memory availability.”

Nvidia could possibly be decreasing the availability of sure GPUs for the start of 2026, if not additional down the highway. We should wait and see what costs and availability seem like in just a few weeks. The lack of provide is for certain to push the price of GPUs even increased amongst retailers due to diminished stock. The scalpers, as ordinary, can have a area day if GPU shortage will get even worse.

Nvidia didn’t supply a peep about any RTX 50-series Super era of GPUs early this yr, resulting in hypothesis that any next-gen GPUs could also be delayed. CEO Jensen Huang detailed extra about its supersized Vera Rubin AI processing chips throughout his keynote at CES 2026. The subsequent “Rubin” sequence of GPUs to switch immediately’s present “Blackwell” RTX sequence might not be alongside till years to return, hopefully when the RAM scarcity has run its course.

Fewer GPUs in the marketplace will inevitably imply increased costs. One of AMD’s execs, David McAfee, advised Gizmodo in an interview the corporate was doing what it might to maintain prices low on its Radeon RX 9070 XT—the direct competitor to the RTX 5070 Ti. We can solely hope that there will probably be not less than just a few 16GB GPUs to maintain PC players afloat by 2026.

This publish was up to date 1/15/25 at 2:30 p.m. ET to incorporate feedback from Asus and Nvidia.