Nvidia has reportedly shelved its RTX 50 series Super plans, but I'd say we've got bigger existing price woes

Nvidia loves a mid-generation refresh, but it looks like RTX 50 Super GPUs won't be showing up any time soon. The new leak cites various reasons why we're not getting a bunch of new best graphics card contenders right now, and I can't help but feel like the stage is being set for an unaffordable year in gaming PC land.

According to a Board Channels post highlighted by Gazlog, there are a few main reasons RTX 50 series successors to cards like the Nvidia GeForce RTX 5080 aren't inbound. The first is that, just like with the best RAM for gaming options, production for other use cases like AI is taking priority. The leak also says that the global economic factors impacting the price of memory are also playing a role, alongside a lack of pressure from competitors like AMD, which makes sense since there are still no RTX 5090 rival out there.

Yes, this is bleak news for enthusiasts and players looking to arm their rig with punchy parts. But, it's really just one rung on a treacherously pricey ladder you'll have to climb in 2026 when building a PC. Given the situation with DDR5 RAM right now, and the suggestion that GPU manufacturing costs are also being impacted, I'd focus all of your attention on getting existing graphics cards for the right price, especially if MSRPs are about to go bananas yet again.

The "good" news is that I'm not seeing any ridiculous hikes in the mid-range GPU scene so far. As of this moment, you can still grab an Nvidia GeForce RTX 5070 for $549 at Amazon, but it is admittedly only the one Asus model. Custom price shenanigans are going on with the GeForce RTX 5070 Ti, meaning you're looking at $829.99 rather than $749 right now, but things are much grimmer when you reach the GeForce RTX 5080. That high-end card is going to set you back more than the last-gen RTX 4090, which is pretty depressing.

Unfortunately, those increases also extend to AMD's lineup, as the AMD Radeon RX 9070 will set you back $50 more at $599. It's still worth considering, especially if you'd rather not rely too heavily on AI upscaling, but I'm hyper aware that the original approachable price points aren't really a thing right now.

Traditionally, I'd recommend looking for last-gen options that are dropping to record lows, but those are very few and far between. Any RTX 40-series stock still out in the wild seems to be going for the same as new-gen cards, so I'd avoid them until we potentially see substantial price drops.

The apparent indefinite delay of RTX 50 Super series cards is a bit of a bummer, but I'm hellbent on keeping PC building spirits high. Throughout 2026, I'll be sharing ways to get a rig together while avoiding project-destroying price increases, whether that means using one of the best gaming handhelds as a desktop hybrid, making your own Steam Machine alternative, or even just optimising your build list of parts for your specific needs.

Building a new rig? Swing by the best CPU for gaming and the best SSDs for component picks.