The end for mid-range Nvidia graphics cards?

The situation surrounding Nvidia's Blackwell series is becoming increasingly unpredictable. According to initial information, Asus has already marked its RTX 5070 Ti models as "end of life" (EOL), as production is no longer sustainable due to the lack of critical components, especially the new GDDR7 memory. Shortly after, Asus issued an official statement denying that the models were completely discontinued, but admitting that supply fluctuations had caused a temporary halt to stock restoration.

The main culprit for the current situation is the so-called “memory crisis of 2026”. Due to the boom in artificial intelligence, memory manufacturers such as Micron and Samsung have prioritized high-bandwidth modules for data centers, which has caused a drastic price jump for the consumer market. Cards with 16 GB of VRAM, such as the RTX 5070 Ti and RTX 5060 Ti 16 GB, have become unprofitable for manufacturers. The consequences are already visible in stores; the RTX 5070 Ti, which should be sold for around €800, is already reaching prices close to €1,000 in some regions.

Nvidia is responding diplomatically to the reports: “Demand is strong, but memory supply is limited. We continue to ship all models.” However, analysts warn that the mid-range with 16 GB of memory could actually disappear from shelves, as Nvidia will focus limited resources on the more expensive RTX 5080 and 5090 models, where profits are higher. Gamers who were waiting for a refresh of the “SUPER” series at CES 2026 were left empty-handed, as those plans were allegedly postponed precisely due to the lack of GDDR7 memory. At the moment, it looks like 2026 will be the year of 8 GB cards, unless you are willing to pay a four-figure sum.