A new leak suggests that Nvidia is urging its partners to sell the RTX 4070 at MSRP prices. This comes following a rumor that the upcoming GPU’s price was slashed from around $750 to just $599.
Nvidia is having a pretty tough time with its RTX 40-series graphics cards. The RTX 4090 was a revelation and offers incredible performance and a massive generational uplift when compared to its predecessors. However, the generational divide is beginning to slim slightly. The RTX 4070 Ti is about as fast as an RTX 3090 Ti. Meanwhile, the RTX 4070‘s leaked specifications indicate a slightly more cut-down card, which might not offer a huge jump in performance when compared to its predecessors.
Equally interesting is the conversation around the pricing of the graphics card. Initial reports suggested that the RTX 4070 could retail for up to $749, which would be a massive generational price-hike. However, it seems that this was quickly changed to a price of just $599, as Moore’s Law is Dead reports.
One of their sources states that at least “50% of the shipment will be mandated by Nvidia to be at MSRP if we want allocation”. Meanwhile, another source stated regarding the $599 price point: “I don’t know how the *@#! we’re supposed to compete with it”
Subscribe to our newsletter for the latest updates on Esports, Gaming and more.
These claims are further substantiated by prolific leaker Zed Wang on Twitter.
NVIDIA urges AICs to sell most of 4070 at MSRP.
— MEGAsizeGPU (@Zed__Wang) April 8, 2023
Is Nvidia angering its partners?
Last year, we saw EVGA exit the GPU market in a dramatic fashion. However, this was for a good reason. The company claimed that they were losing hundreds of dollars per GPU sold, according to GamersNexus. The same could potentially be the case if AIB manufacturers like Zotac were expecting a higher price point, and thus designed their custom boards and thermal solutions around that.
If the claims from AIB sources and Nvidia’s last-minute switcheroo are to be believed, they could incite the ire of further business partners in their consumer graphics card business, as the company casts its eye towards AI in the future.