The RTX 5070 Ti is effectively dead, and the GPU market is worse for it

[daffy duck]

While I stupidly did not go ahead with my new PC build last year, I at least got th 9070XT at a reasonably good price in Australia and so won't be worrying about the GPU until probably RDNA6 and I will never buy an Nvidia product. My last Nvidia was 2080 Super.

I can only hope Nvidia (and other big tech companies) is left in tatters after the AI bubble explodes.

 

[godrilla]

If I knew where the GPU market was headed I would have purchased that Microcenter 4090 in 2023.

Unfortunately this is the 4th time prices for gpus skyrocketing. Currently the 5070 and 9070xt are still decently priced if you still need something to wait out the storm. Things might not improve until q4 2027 when AMD is promising to release rdna 5 gpus.

Also Nvidia's partners saying their will be dedicated supply allocation for 5080 but unfortunately at the 30% minimum above msrp and climbing.


lastly the 6000 pros still holding steady at $8235 minimum.

 

[Megalomaniac]

Anything less than the 5090 isn't worth buying.

 

[BadThad]

Here we go again with video cards, it never ends. I'm still trucking along just fine with my RX6800 16GB, works great still today and it has proved to be a good decision....like getting 32GB of RAM ($120 at the time).

Of course they have 8GB cards in stock - NOBODY wants them, at least gamers don't. That ship has long sailed in game land. At this point they're are nothing but "desperation cards" - when you can find anything else at your price point. Such folks should be turning to the used market, just like during the last crunch. I'd rather have a kickass old card than a compromise.

EXCELLENT article BTW! About the time I was thinking you needed to talk about AMD, you did! Great job!

 

[BadThad]

Still waiting for AI to save us! Make life better for everyone...

It makes my life at work easier every single day. I love it!

 

[Megalomaniac]

So basically, the 5000 series has been a disappointing launch - unless you bought a prebuilt or laptop.

I'd say better luck with the 6000 launch but unless something changes, you can probably already hear the scalpers getting their trunks and warehouses ready.

I will sit out the 6000, 7000 and maybe even the 8000. I won't be buying a new PC for at least a decade. My 5090 will get me through. But I'd imagine technology will change within the next 10 years in ways that may render all these GPU cards irrelevant.

The way I see it, we're moving to SOC with the GPU and CPU on the same chip like you find in apple products.

 

[BadThad]

This is why every vehicle on the road is a C/S/X “utility vehicle.” People whine about not having a variety of products to buy after whining about there being too many options of said products.

Know why “Journalists” hated the 2011 Ford Ranger? Too small. Too old. Not enough tech.

Take a guess what they whine about now?

Too big. Too expensive. Too much tech. “Why can’t we just have crank windows and a heater?” Because you complained. So they sold you what you said you wanted.

I have a 5070 Ti and a 5080. I love my 5080. Which everyone WHINED ABOUT. “It’s half the cost of a 5090 but not twice as good as a 5070 Ti so why does it cost $200-300 more?”

Keep it up people. You’re out here doing the lords work.

HAHAHAHA....insightful post friend!

 

[BadThad]

Will be interesting to see when the AI bubble finally pops. Right now companies are buying into eachother with 0 cash involved - Like the Oracle / Open AI deal where no one on either side has any cash, but a handshake with the promise of cash ...BILLIONS they say...Meanwhile OpenAI is loosing millions of dollars every month as they keep expanding without actually anyone paying into their services.
Still, their company "value" explodes in the promises of gold somehow raining down from the sky.

AI is cool, it has its uses - but it's no where close to life altering, although it has spawned a new generation of "Vibe coders" that makes lousy programs.
The market isn't screaming for 10 000 new AI server farms at all - it's just the FOMO from the big three that they'll somehow be left behind if they don't keep expanding their AI processing power

Sales guys over-hyping and actually getting contracts and selling. That gets any company building, wrong path or not. I like AI for what I use it for at work but these sales guys are promising the moon and threatening "get it or else you'll be behind". Exec's perk-up in their chairs and heed the advice. They don't want to be "the one" that held up the progress and ruined the company. They'd rather risk the money to extend their executive status as long as possible. I've been in industry for 40 years, I've learned a thing or two.

 

[BadThad]

I'd say better luck with the 6000 launch but unless something changes, you can probably already hear the scalpers getting their trunks and warehouses ready.

It's probably already a done deal. Once the news hit, suckers grab-up all the inventory they can and sit on it for awhile as prices rise. Just like buying gold or ammo!

 

[redgarl]

It did to me. 1k was the most I was willing to spend at the time. And since 9070xt and 5070ti cost the same, I got one I trust to last more.

So, you bought a 9070XT, that was the right choice. No need to deal with 12VHPWR!

 

[redgarl]

Anything less than the 5090 isn't worth buying.

Anyone buying a 5090 is a clown... and that is coming from someone that is a multimillionaire...

 

[Rapob]

Anything less than the 5090 isn't worth buying.

I would never buy a 5090 yet I can very easily afford one, or several for that matter. The watts alone makes it a big no. Pointless card for gaming.

Especially because I am a high fps / high refresh rate gamer, where GPU means less. 9800X3D OC'ed to 5.5 GHz on all cores with 32GB 6400/CL28 memory is more important than my GPU in most games, chasing those 500 fps with 200+ minimum 1% lows.

1440p at 500 Hz OLED = 120+ Hz CRT level of smoothness, which you won't get on any LCD panel due to smearing. LCD needs TN with 500 Hz + BFI to even come close but image quality will be crap.

My 4090 runs at 325 watts on average and delivers 5080 beating performance, with 50% more VRAM. It is doing just fine. 32GB on the 5090 is pointless for gaming, even 24GB is mostly pointless for gaming. 600 watt power usage with 800-900 spikes, no thanks, pointless. 5090 is a prosumer card, made for work / AI more than gaming.

99% of 5090 are sold to people that use them mainly for work, not gaming.

 

[Burty117]

Quoting from the TechSpot review:

The RTX 5090 is 25% more expensive than the RTX 4090, delivers an average of 27% more performance

If you're after performance above all, it's the better card to purchase, If you already own a 4090, It's down to the person whether it's worth the upgrade.

Personally, I don't think it is, the 4090 runs everything I throw at it at a performance level I'm happy with, But if I was buying a high end card a year ago? Yeah, the 5090 made sense.

I also value PhyX running properly, the 50 series dropped support and I like going back to Borderlands 2 and the old Batman games, they run like arse on the 50 series with PhyX enabled.

 

[godrilla]

Quoting from the TechSpot review:

The RTX 5090 is 25% more expensive than the RTX 4090, delivers an average of 27% more performance

If you're after performance above all, it's the better card to purchase, If you already own a 4090, It's down to the person whether it's worth the upgrade.

Personally, I don't think it is, the 4090 runs everything I throw at it at a performance level I'm happy with, But if I was buying a high end card a year ago? Yeah, the 5090 made sense.

I also value PhyX running properly, the 50 series dropped support and I like going back to Borderlands 2 and the old Batman games, they run like arse on the 50 series with PhyX enabled.

Physx support was added few months back.

fyi
people getting triggered over 5090s that you can't purchase anymore under $3000 anyway. The train left the station.

Anything less than the 5090 isn't worth buying.

the 5090 isn't worth buying currently anyway.
On black Friday the 5080s were as low as $899, 5070 $449 ( currently seen still as low as $499), 9070xt was selling close to $599 and now hovering around $649. Also the 5070ti is still available to purchase as of 1/16/27 at close to msrp for some models compared to 5080s and 5090s.
Also 99% of 5090s owners are using it for ai because trust me bro doesn't reflect steam survey. There is no way of knowing how many 5090 owners use it for ai or for gaming or both?
The silver lining is Unreal engine has no choice but to optimize games for the most common denominator and not brute force for a stagnated niche demographic to stay relevant.

 

[UncleMikeRetro]

After reading this article and several others, I checked and my local Wal-Mart had a few at MSRP ($749.00). Had to push the button on one this morning.

 

[godrilla]

Update on story from Asus
ASUS issues a third RTX 5070 Ti clarification and walks back the earlier EOL claim - VideoCardz.com https://share.google/MBf62nHGdPx1ixZTq

 

[redgarl]

Tim is once again deforming the information and refuse to throw the brick at Nvidia when he should.

Look at the headline of the same news elsewhere to see the difference...

- NVIDIA’s Strategy Amid GPU Memory Shortages Is to Prioritize “Profit/GB”, Turning 8GB GPUs Into Hot Picks Over Higher-VRAM Models

- AMD Asserts Its Strategy Is To Keep GPU Prices As Low As Possible Amid The Ongoing DRAM Shortage

 

[j4ni1]

Double standards of Tim again. In this article he should be shitting on nVidia and celebrating AMD and its 9070/XT, but does neither.

 

[Julio Franco]

We've posted an update:

Update (Jan 16), Schrödinger's GPU: Since posting this story, we've received two clarifying statements from Asus, explaining in their own words that they will continue to support the GeForce RTX 5070 Ti and RTX 5060 Ti 16 GB and are working closely with partners to "stabilize supply" as conditions improve.

In our opinion, the facts have not really changed. The RTX 5070 Ti is heavily supply constrained to the point of being effectively killed, but we'll see whether that's truly the case across the next few months. Ultimately, the proof will be in the supply.

See the full update details at the bottom of the story.

 

[bviktor]

It did to me. 1k was the most I was willing to spend at the time. And since 9070xt and 5070ti cost the same, I got one I trust to last more.

No, they "don't cost the same", every article about GPU value concluded that the 5070 Ti costs more than how faster it is, therefore it's bad value.

If you could get both for the same price, it was an anomaly.

 

[Revolution 11]

Pretty **** move by nVidia, especially now, knowing how insufficient 8gb vram is. OTOH, maybe it will force developers to actually optimize games again instead of just using UE 5 and expecting the users to throw resources at it.

Oh it is absolutely going to force developers to de-emphasize graphics and the AAAA standard. Except all the big developers are stuck with their team size and development methodology. I expect indie games to do even better than they have been for the last half-decade.

Where this is really going to hurt is the consoles. If this AI bubble lasts for more than 5 or 6 years, it will affect not only the upcoming console generation but the generation after that as well. Console gaming is going to take a real beating, worse than anything COVID inflicted.

 

[ZedRM]

So what are you going to do about it?

Hold on to our older hardware and switch to Linux maybe?

 

[Burty117]

Physx support was added few months back.

fyi

It was added last month, that's cool and all, but it's being added at the driver level on a per-game basis and it wasn't supported, at all, from launch, until last month.

Nvidia didn't even say anything about it for a while, just simply "we've removed PhysX support from the 50 series", not even a promise to add it back somehow, it just started showing up in the driver updates one day.

Pretty poor show from Nvidia around PhysX support in general really.

 

[godrilla]

It was added last month, that's cool and all, but it's being added at the driver level on a per-game basis and it wasn't supported, at all, from launch, until last month.

Nvidia didn't even say anything about it for a while, just simply "we've removed PhysX support from the 50 series", not even a promise to add it back somehow, it just started showing up in the driver updates one day.

Pretty poor show from Nvidia around PhysX support in general really.

Based on observation they are moving towards supporting fp8 ( and rumored fp4 )via most feature sets and moving away from fp32 on older hardware. It allows them an one size fits all current hardware especially their servers for game streaming easier to run vs older dedicated hardware.

 

[OortCloud]

Most VRAM usage is just textures. Games just have to be written to adapt Texture quality back down to run within 8GB. If you select Very High textures on a 4K display with an 8GB card it should just stutter a bit while it drops the texture quality back down and starts reloading smaller textures then run fine. It should not just fall over like Indiana Jones did. When you go back in the settings after it will show the lower texture quality setting now, so you know with all the other settings you picked the game was unable to sustain the texture quality you selected.