Bad news for AMD? Nvidia might fast-track the RTX 50-series
Nvidia might be shifting its strategy with the upcoming RTX 50 series, and that's good news for gamers, but perhaps not for AMD.
JimMin
Jacob Roach / Digital Trends / Jacob Roach / Digital Trends
Things are finally about to start heating up for some of the best graphics cards. Although we’re still in the dark about final release dates, both AMD and Nvidia are said to be launching new GPUs in the first quarter of 2025. However, a new leak tells us that Nvidia might try out a different approach with the RTX 50-series, and that’s bound to put some pressure on AMD at the worst possible time.
What’s new? We’ve already heard that Nvidia is likely to announce the RTX 5090 and the RTX 5080 at CES 2025, with its CEO Jensen Huang scheduled to hold a keynote during the event. However, the release dates for the rest of the lineup remained a mystery. Now, a previously reliable source sheds some light on the matter with potential details about the planned launch dates for the RTX 5070, RTX 5070 Ti, RTX 5060, and RTX 5060 Ti.
According to Board Channels (shared by VideoCardz), the two high-end Nvidia GPUs — the RTX 5090 and the RTX 5080 — will hit the shelves in January 2025, followed by the RTX 5070 and the RTX 5070 Ti in February, and then the last two cards in March. That means that the majority (or even the entirety) of the RTX 50-series might be out in the first quarter of the year.
Jacob Roach / Digital TrendsKeep in mind that all of the above is still unconfirmed, and we’ve heard a lot of back-and-forth on the release dates of these next-gen GPUs already. Moreover, we’ve scarcely heard any leaks about the RTX 5060, so everything needs to be taken with some skepticism. However, this does open the door to some delightful speculation.
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Getting the vast majority of the lineup out the door in just three months would certainly be a new approach for Nvidia, and a contrast to the RTX 40-series. The RTX 4090 launched in October 2022, but those who wanted a more mainstream GPU had to wait until the end of June 2023 to snag an RTX 4060. It took Nvidia a total of eight months to go from the high-end to a more budget-friendly GPU.
While this fast-paced strategy would be great news for gamers, it’s less of a happy development for AMD. Seeing as AMD is said not to be competing at the high-end in this generation, we’re unlikely to see it launch a GPU that could punch above the RTX 5080, or even the RTX 5070 Ti. As such, the rivals to AMD’s RDNA 4 will be cards along the likes of the RTX 5060 and the RTX 5070.
If Nvidia were to adopt the same release cadence as it did in the RTX 40-series, that could mean that AMD would have a bit of a window in which it would have the only next-gen GPUs that don’t cost an arm and a leg to buy. With only the high-end cards launching in January, AMD could swoop in with an affordable GPU and steal some of Nvidia’s thunder at just the right time. However, if Nvidia really launches most of the lineup within three months, AMD will face its direct competition every step of the way.
Monica is a UK-based freelance writer and self-proclaimed geek. A firm believer in the "PC building is just like expensive…
The RTX 5090 will reportedly require 600 watts of power
Rumors have been circulating about the RTX 5090 for a while, but we're finally getting a clearer picture of how Nvidia's flagship RTX 50-series GPU is shaping up. Well-known hardware leaker Kopite7kimi is claiming the RTX 5090, which seems destined to earn a spot among the best graphics cards, will come with an obscene power requirement of 600 watts.
The leaker shared specs for the RTX 5090 and RTX 5080 on X (formerly Twitter). We've seen vague claims from Kopite7kimi in the past concerning RTX 50-series graphics cards, but this is the first time the leaker has shared full specs. According to the leak, the RTX 5090 will require 600W of power and come with a staggering 32GB of GDDR7 memory across a 512-bit bus.
Nvidia is reportedly sunsetting the RTX 4090
The RTX 4090 is undoubtedly the best graphics card you can buy right now from a performance standpoint, but Nvidia is reportedly discontinuing the flagship GPU. Reports from the Board Channel forums (shared by Wccftech) suggest Nvidia is preparing to end production of the RTX 4090 and the China-exclusive RTX 4090D starting next month in order to make way for next-gen RTX 50-series graphics cards.
It's not surprising that Nvidia would wind down production of the RTX 4090 as the next generation of graphics cards approaches. Flagship GPUs like the RTX 4090 don't have much of a shelf life after a new generation has released, which is something we saw in action with the RTX 3090. Although Nvidia could end production of the GPU in October (the company itself hasn't, and likely won't, confirm that detail publicly), the card won't immediately disappear from store shelves.
Next-gen GPUs are coming ‘later this year’ — but which?
What's going on with next-gen graphics cards? I've been asking myself that question for months now. Reports about Nvidia's RTX 50-series and AMD's RDNA 4 first pointed to a 2024 release, but most sources now agree that we won't see any new GPUs until 2025. Except EK Water Blocks, a company that now claims that we'll see an announcement "later this year."
EK Water Blocks makes liquid cooling solutions, and it's partnered with both Nvidia and AMD, which makes it harder to determine which GPU manufacturer it's talking about here. According to the latest leaks, both GPU makers aren't launching their new products this year, although one source (admittedly uncertain) claimed that we'd have an announcement this month. This is now the second leak in as many days that implies good news in 2024.
