Launch of NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 FE Allegedly Postponed Until Late March

Tomorrow marks the official debut of the latest GPU, although those eager to snag the Founders Edition will have to exercise a little patience until the end of March.

NVIDIA has decided to push back the launch of its GeForce RTX 5070 FE, an update revealed not through an official announcement but rather via an email to Andreas Schilling, a well-respected figure in tech reporting. The initial plan for the retail release was to coincide with the lifting of the review embargo, which happened just a few hours ago.

According to Schilling, NVIDIA reached out to him with this news mere hours before reviews began to circulate. So, if you were planning to pick up the GeForce RTX 5070 Founders Edition bright and early, you might have to adjust your plans. While it’s unclear how this delay might affect the release of partner cards from other manufacturers, the current buzz suggests that getting your hands on one might be a challenge, given the limited availability.

Schilling tweeted about NVIDIA’s notification, offering a candid look at the unexpected shift in schedule: “You think you can buy a GeForce RTX 5070 Founders Edition tomorrow? No, NVIDIA told us 2 1/2 hours before review drop that the card will be available later in March.”

It seems the launch could resemble a so-called “paper launch,” similar to what we experienced with the RTX 5090, RTX 5080, and RTX 5070 Ti. Various reviews are already circulating, portraying the GeForce RTX 5070 in a light similar to the RTX 4070 Super, although it lacks significant advancements over the previous generation. Priced at $549, it still offers a decent performance return, provided you can snag one at that price.

If getting your hands on one proves tricky, consider holding off until AMD’s Radeon RX 9070 XT and RX 9070 hit the market. These GPUs, launching on March 6th with reviews out a day earlier, are priced at $599 for the XT and $549 for the non-XT, setting the stage for direct competition with the RTX 5070.

The precise reasons behind the delay of the GeForce RTX 5070’s release are murky. Whispers of a performance-limiting bug and chip supply issues circulated a few weeks back, yet NVIDIA remains tight-lipped officially.

Despite the delay, there’s hope that custom AIB editions might still hit the shelves globally, sparing enthusiasts further disappointment. Just yesterday, listings cropped up at major retailers like B&H Photo Video, pricing both standard and OC models at $549. Given this landscape, if the price inches above $600, opting for alternative GPUs in the same performance bracket might be the way to go unless choices are limited in your region.