Skip to main content

Digital Trends may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site. Why trust us?

Nvidia may be putting an end to RTX 30-series graphics cards

In a surprising twist, Nvidia’s RTX 30-series Founders Edition graphics cards are no longer available for sale. You can still buy cards made by Nvidia’s partners, but not the official FE versions prepared by Nvidia itself.

While the company’s focus has been solely on the RTX 40 series lately, the RTX 30 cards are still some of the best GPUs. Fortunately, you can still get these cards elsewhere.

RTX 3080 graphics card on a table.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

The official Nvidia U.S. store doesn’t seem to be selling any Founders Edition cards from the Ampere generation anymore. This includes the RTX 3060, RTX 3070, RTX 3070 Ti, RTX 3080, RTX 3080 Ti, and the two flagships: RTX 3090 and RTX 3090 Ti. There are a handful of RTX 30-series cards made by Zotac available for sale through Nvidia’s partnerships with retailers like Newegg or Micro Center, but not a single one of Nvidia’s own GPUs.

Recommended Videos

Does this lack of GPUs up for sale mean that Nvidia is retiring its last-gen cards? If they didn’t disappear from the store by accident (which has happened in the past), it very well might mean that Nvidia is taking another step in that direction. With the latest generation of cards now out, Nvidia most likely wants to direct sales to its newer, more expensive models.

Of course, if you head directly to retailers, you might still spot these cards for sale. For example, Newegg still has some Founders Edition GPUs up for grabs, but the prices are rather discouraging. Most of these GPUs are sold by third-party retailers and not directly by Newegg, which could also have an impact on the cost. With GPUs like the RTX 3090 priced at $1,900, you’re really better off just buying an RTX 4090 instead — provided you can spot one close to its recommended list price.

While the RTX 3090 is expensive across the board, Founders Edition or not, plenty of RTX 30-series cards are available from Nvidia’s partners at more reasonable prices. You can get an RTX 3070 for $500 on , which makes it a solid pick against the overpriced RTX 4070 Ti.

Monica J. White
Monica is a computing writer at Digital Trends, focusing on PC hardware. Since joining the team in 2021, Monica has written…
Nvidia RTX 50-series GPUs: performance, specs, prices, availability
The RTX 5090 sitting next to the RTX 4090.

Nvidia has announced its new line of GPUs, the RTX 50-series -- and the first two are almost here, ready to rival the best graphics cards. We were already able to get our hands on the RTX 5090, which is why we now have a better idea of what these cards are capable of.

While we're still waiting for the RTX 5080, RTX 5070 Ti, and RTX 5070, we know that Nvidia is promising some huge leaps in performance, thanks to the new AI powers of DLSS 4. Here's everything you need to know about Nvidia's RTX 50-series.
RTX 50-series: pricing and release date

Read more
Nvidia may keep producing one RTX 40 GPU, and it’s not the one we want
The Alienware m16 R2 on a white desk.

The last few weeks brought us a slew of rumors about Nvidia potentially sunsetting most of the RTX 40-series graphics cards. However, a new update reveals that one GPU might remain in production long after other GPUs are no longer being produced. Unfortunately, it's a GPU that would struggle to rank among Nvidia's best graphics cards. I'm talking about the RTX 4050 -- a card that only appears in laptops.

The scoop comes from a leaker on Weibo and was first spotted by Wccftech. The leaker states that the RTX 4050 is "the only 40-series laptop GPU that Nvidia will continue to supply" after the highly anticipated launch of the RTX 50-series. Unsurprisingly, the tipster also reveals that the fact that both the RTX 4050 and the RTX 5050 will be readily available at the same time will also impact the pricing of the next-gen card.

Read more
This may be your last chance to buy an RTX 40-series GPU at MSRP
Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090 GPU.

Just last week, we reported on the end of production for the RTX 40-series. Now, new information from Board Channels (shared by Gazlog) suggests that the final shipments of Nvidia's best graphics cards are right around the corner. Some GPUs, like the RTX 4090, have already seen their final shipments. With the holidays on the horizon, now might be the last time to buy the RTX 40-series at a decent price before stock levels begin dwindling.

Despite being two years old, Nvidia's RTX 40-series has held up in terms of GPU prices. Only the RTX 4090 went up from its original recommended list price (MSRP), with the rest of the lineup  holding steady and mostly hovering around the launch price. Things might take a turn for the worse, though, if this report ends up being true.

Read more