The GeForce RTX 5070’s grand debut is set for tomorrow, but if you’re eager to get your hands on the Founders Edition, you’ll have to hang tight until the end of March.
Recent news suggests a shift in NVIDIA’s schedule, pushing back the retail launch of the RTX 5070 Founders Edition by a few weeks. Although it hasn’t been officially announced, Andreas Schilling of Hardware Luxx broke the news, sharing that NVIDIA informed him via email about the changes. This update came mere hours before the review embargo was lifted, disrupting plans for an immediate release.
If you were planning to scoop up the GeForce RTX 5070 Founders Edition, prepare for a delay. As it stands, it’s uncertain how this will impact the availability of AIB editions. Based on the latest buzz, getting your hands on this GPU might prove challenging.
Schilling tweeted, “You think you can buy a GeForce RTX 5070 Founders Edition tomorrow? No, NVIDIA told us 2 1/2 hours before review drop: ‘The RTX 5070 Founders Edition will be available later in March.'”
Past releases like the RTX 5090, RTX 5080, and RTX 5070 Ti have experienced similar staggered launches, raising concerns about history repeating itself. Reviews for the RTX 5070 are out, depicting it as nearly on par with the RTX 4070 Super. While not a huge leap forward, its performance for $549 would have been decent.
If you’re facing difficulty finding it at the suggested retail price, consider waiting for AMD’s Radeon RX 9070 XT and RX 9070, arriving March 6th, with reviews coming a day earlier. The RX 9070 XT and its non-XT sibling are priced competitively at $599 and $549 respectively, squaring off directly against the RTX 5070.
The reasons behind the Founders Edition delay are somewhat of a mystery. Rumors floated about performance bugs and supply hiccups, but NVIDIA hasn’t confirmed these. While some have speculated, the specifics remain unclear.
Though the Founders Edition faces delays, fingers crossed, custom AIB cards might still hit shelves globally. They’ve already been spotted at retailers like B&H Photo Video, listing the RTX 5070 at the MSRP of $549 for both standard and overclocked versions. However, if prices drift above $600 for AIB cards, you might want to reconsider unless there’s nothing comparable nearby.
