While the GPU launches officially tomorrow, the Founders Edition won't be available for purchase till late March.
NVIDIA Delays the RTX 5070 FE Retail Launch by a Few Weeks; Will Now Launch Later in the Month
NVIDIA has delayed the launch of the GeForce RTX 5070 FE GPU and while this doesn't come officially from NVIDIA, Andreas Schilling reports that NVIDIA emailed him about the launch delay. The embargo on the reviews for the RTX 5070 was lifted a few hours ago and tomorrow was the supposed day for the retail launch.
However, the Hardware Luxx editor says that NVIDIA notified him about this update a few hours before the reviews embargo was lifted. This means if you were going to buy the Founders Edition of the GeForce RTX 5070 GPU, you probably won't find one. We don't know if this will also affect the retail launch of the AIB editions, but when we consider all the recent reports about the GPU's availability, it won't be widely available.
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." pic.twitter.com/8BntkzNc7T
— Andreas Schilling 🇺🇦 🇮🇱 (@aschilling) March 4, 2025
Perhaps, it might see another paper launch just as the RTX 5090, RTX 5080, and RTX 5070 Ti did. The GeForce RTX 5070 reviews have been published by various publications and have shown RTX 4070 Super-equivalent performance. The GPU hasn't shown any strong generational uplifts, but considering it is slightly better than the RTX 4070 Super at $549, it would still have been fine for its price.
Nonetheless, if you can't find one at MSRP, it's highly advised to wait for the Radeon RX 9070 XT and RX 9070 GPUs. Both of these are going to launch on the 6th of March, but their reviews will be out on the 5th. These GPUs feature a price tag of $599 for the XT and $549 for the non-XT version, which makes the RX 9070 a direct competitor to the RTX 5070.
As for the GeForce RTX 5070, its availability is affected by unknown reasons. We did hear a few weeks back that the GPU was seeing some kind of bug that was limiting its performance and also that there had been some supply issues with the chips. However, NVIDIA hasn't stated any such reasons officially.
While the Founders Edition is going to get delayed by a few weeks, hopefully, the AIB custom editions will still be available in various parts of the world. Yesterday we saw the GPU getting listed on retailers like B&H Photo Video at an MSRP of $549 for both base and OC models. If the GPU crosses $600 for AIB models, it's better to avoid it altogether unless no other similarly powerful GPU is available in your region.
About the author: Sarfraz Khan is a hardware reporter with a focus on PC components and the builder community. With years of experience writing about PC hardware and laptops, his work has been featured on several reputable technology publications. Sarfraz's hands-on experience is demonstrated through his first-person accounts of using and comparing different hardware configurations, providing practical and relatable insights for everyday users. His technical analysis is respected by peers in the enthusiast community and has been cited by specialized hardware sites such as Germany's Igor's Lab.
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