NVIDIA RTX 5070 amd RTX 5060: Delay of the mid-range GPUs postponed to March and April

Anyone who has been waiting for the mid-range graphics cards of the RTX 50 series will now have to be patient. Originally scheduled for earlier dates, the RTX 5070 and RTX 5060 are now not expected until March and April respectively. Officially, NVIDIA does not like to talk about the causes, but insider reports point to a mixture of chip shortages and strategic market adjustments.

NVIDIA’s supply chain: a disaster with an announcement?

The launch of the RTX 5090 and RTX 5080 was already rather chaotic. The cards were barely available, and when they were, it was at prices that clearly exceeded the pain threshold of many interested parties. The fact that the RTX 5070 and RTX 5060 are now also being delayed on the market shows that NVIDIA is not in control of the situation. According to reports, fewer than 100 RTX 5090 cards reached the Taiwanese market – and this in a region that traditionally sells high volumes. Retailers worldwide reported “single-digit” stocks of the new Blackwell GPUs. The problem? Demand is huge, while NVIDIA can’t seem to source enough chips.

Gamers and power users are eager to get the RTX 5090 and 5080, but chip supply constraints are causing shortages. Supply issues will likely push back mass production of the RTX 5070/5060 from the original Feb/Mar to Mar/Apr. Limited supply means these two cards will sell out…

— 郭明錤 (Ming-Chi Kuo) (@mingchikuo) February 12, 2025

Postponement: A smart move or pure emergency?

According to well-known analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, NVIDIA is pursuing a multi-pronged strategy with the postponement:

• Give production a breathe: manufacturing can’t keep up with demand. A delay gives time to produce more units and thus avoid a complete false start.
• Damage limitation: The disastrous launch of the high-end cards has already caused annoyed customers. Another debacle could further undermine confidence in NVIDIA’s abilities.
• A challenge to AMD: AMD is planning a serious competitor with the RX 9070 series. NVIDIA could use the postponement to position itself better tactically and counter with targeted PR and available cards.

The market has had enough of NVIDIA’s games

Yes, NVIDIA dominates the GPU market. But for how much longer? The aggressive pricing policy, coupled with availability problems and a generally tense market situation, could cause many users to rethink. With the RX 9070 series, AMD has a real chance of making gains in the mid-range if NVIDIA continues to struggle with bottlenecks and questionable decisions.

It remains to be seen whether the delay is tactically ingenious or simply a reaction to a home-made crisis. The fact is that anyone speculating on an RTX 5070 or RTX 5060 will now have to wait even longer – and perhaps lose their patience.

Source: mingchikuo via X