NVIDIA Reportedly Shifted 75% Of GPU Supply To These Three RTX 50 Models
Not to beat a dead horse (too late), but a memory chip shortage is wreaking havoc on consumer device availability and pricing. That includes graphics cards, the all-important component for a gaming PC, which employ varying amounts onboard video RAM (VRAM). According to a fresh rumor, the situation has caused NVIDIA and its hardware partners to shift focus to three lower VRAM models in the first quarter of 2026.
This isn't likely to matter if you were not in the market for a flagship GeForce RTX 5090 in the first place, especially since it's been damn near impossible to find one at NVIDIA's baseline $1,999 MSRP pretty much since launch. However, if you're shopping for a GeForce RTX 5080 or GeForce RTX 5070 Ti, things could be a little more challenging in the weeks and months ahead.
According to a post on the Board Channels forums where insiders tend to hang out, the sales strategy for the current quarter is to focus on models with 8GB of VRAM first and foremost, followed by a 12GB model.
"Internal sources from NVIDIA and AIC [add-in card] brands indicate adjustments to the supply plan for the RTX 50 series GPUs in Q1 2026, with the following approximate supply plan: the RTX 5060 Ti 8GB series will be the mainstream and primary model, followed by the RTX 5060 8GB series, and then the RTX 5070 series. These three series will be the main sales models for NVIDIA in the future, while other models will have limited supply, depending on actual demand," the post reads.
We don't have access to the Board Channels forums, but according to Videocardz, the post goes on to say that the NVIDIA's supply ratio guidance dictates that the GeForce RTX 5060 Ti (8GB), GeForce RTX 5060 (8GB), and GeForce RTX 5070 (12GB) will account for around 75% of the total supply.
Our advanced math skills tell us that this leaves a 25% allocation for the remaining modes in the GeForce RTX 50 series. While none of this is confirmed, the chatter is in line with a barrage of rumors, as well as ASUS initially saying that the GeForce RTX 5070 Ti had effectively reached end-of-life (EOL) status.
ASUS would later walk back the statement, saying neither the GeForce RTX 5070 Ti or the 16GB version of the GeForce RTX 5060 were discontinued or designated as EOL, and that it had no plans to stop selling either model. However, it did note challenges stemming from the memory chip shortage.
"Current fluctuations in supply for both products are primarily due to memory supply constraints, which have temporarily affected production output and restocking cycles. As a result, availability may appear limited in certain markets, but this should not be interpreted as a production halt or product retirement," ASUS said.
While frustrating for enthusiasts with bigger budgets, the strategy makes sense from the perspective that NVIDIA and its partners sell more mainstream models than they do the higher-end SKUs. Looking at the latest Steam survey results, the GeForce RTX 3060 from two generations ago is the most-widely used card. If sorting just by the GeForce RTX 50 series, the 5070 is the most represented on Steam (No. 8) among discrete options, followed by the 5060 (No. 14)
