NVIDIA’s flagship GPU isn’t the only model seeing significant price hikes, as the RTX 5070 Ti is now far beyond MSRP. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti has arguably been one of the best bangs for your buck since launch. Using the same GPU and 16GB GDDR7 found in the GeForce RTX 508, albeit with fewer enabled cores and slightly slower speeds, it launched at an $749.99 MSRP. That price beat the G.O.A.T of NVIDIA GPUs, the GTX 1080, while also majorly outperforming the historic card, a feat not commonly achievable these days and times. However, according to recent sitings, those good times are over and unlikely to return.
According to research efforts by VideoCardz, the current pricing for the RTX 5070 Ti on Best Buy and Newegg averages between $1,000 and $1,300, with one model listed at $859 and another at the extreme high of $1,649. A quick check at Microcenter, which has a reputation for offering lower prices for those lucky enough to live near one, since most products are not available for shipping, shows more modest pricing ranging from $839 to $ 1,059.99. B&H Photo has similar prices ranging from $829 to $1,169.99, and oddly enough, a very quick search on Amazon only produced a single model at $1689.97. The quick takeaway here is that the RTX 5070 Ti can be had for ~$80-$100 over MSRP, but those thinking of the upgrade may want to act quickly because the alternatives are much, much higher.
Meanwhile, it was only a few months ago that folks didn’t have to put much effort into obtaining overclocked AIB models at, or in some rare cases, below MSRP. No one knows for sure the reason behind the latest price increases, but there are enough rumours combined with facts to hazard a guess: supply might be drying up. It’s well known that a memory supply shortage is occurring and not expected to end any time soon, possibly lasting years into the future, and PC part manufacturers are scrambling to source chips for their products.
There have been many rumors that NVIDIA is among those who are now experiencing the same challenges. Unfortunately, despite its recent claim that its inventory is strong and it is working with suppliers and partners to keep prices low, there have been odd absences of new GPUs (aka the SUPER refresh) along with ongoing price increases for its RTX 5090, which is also seen going for roughly double its MSRP in the $4,000-$5,000 range. It does look suspicious that prices are increasing if supply is supposedly abundant.