Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Computing

Why is Nvidia still quiet about the RTX 3090 Ti?

Monica J. White
By

During CES 2022, Nvidia announced not just the budget RTX 3050, but also the upcoming flagship GeForce RTX 3090 Ti. Although the entry-level card has already hit the shelves, the RTX 3090 Ti still doesn’t have a confirmed release date.

Although Nvidia promised to reveal more about the card, no new information has been released. The launch of the RTX 3090 Ti seems to have been delayed — but why? There are a few possible reasons, including problems with the card itself as well as with the GPU supply.

Nvidia previews RTX 3090 Ti GPU at CES 2022.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Nvidia hasn’t said much about the new RTX 3090 Ti graphics card, but during its CES 2022 keynote, the company said it would be able to say more during the month of January. The month has come and gone, and we still don’t know where Nvidia stands with the release of the RTX 3090 Ti. What little we’ve heard so far has not been encouraging.

Recommended Videos

Earlier in January, reports of Nvidia halting production of the GPU emerged, indicating that Nvidia asked its board partners to put production on hold for the time being. Previous rumors pointed to a January 27 release, but obviously, that didn’t happen, and the company hasn’t commented on the status of the production.

Get your weekly teardown of the tech behind PC gaming
Check your inbox!
Privacy Policy

Moore’s Law is Dead on YouTube has recently posted a video about the mystery surrounding the RTX 3090 Ti. Citing inside sources, the channel claims that the card has had some technical faults that forced Nvidia to pause production until they were addressed. This is consistent with previous reports, as some of the reasons behind the rumored production halt were problems with the printed circuit board (PCB) and the BIOS.

While these issues have apparently been resolved, Nvidia may have run into another problem: A shortage of Ampere GA102 GPUs. Hearing of chip shortages in this day and age is nothing new, but if this is true, it’s odd for Nvidia to tease the card in the first place if it’s currently unable to produce it in adequate quantities. On the other hand, as the RTX 3090 Ti will feature the full GA102 die with a TGP of 450W (compared to the 350W of the RTX 3090,) there could be some unforeseen issues with production that add up to the generally grim state of the market.

MSI GeForce RTX 3090.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Whether Nvidia is only able to produce a small number of GeForce RTX 3090 Ti GPUs or not, its board partners seem to be ready to launch their own versions of the 3090 Ti. As we reported earlier in January, MSI is one such manufacturer that seems to be working on an RTX 3090 Ti Suprim X 24G graphics card. Although the specifications are still up for debate, there is no doubt that it will be a power-hungry beast of a GPU.

Various listings of the card pop up now and then. The MSI card mentioned above has been found listed for an equivalent of $4,500, but some listings of similar RTX 3090 Ti cards go up to as high as $6,000 for a single GPU.

There is no telling what’s really happening behind the scenes and all we can do is wait until Nvidia speaks up on the matter. However, one thing is clear: If the rumored pricing proves to be true, the demand may be limited in comparison to other GPUs. Not many people will be willing to spend upwards of $4,500 on even the best graphics card.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Monica J. White
Monica J. White
Computing Writer
Monica is a UK-based freelance writer and self-proclaimed geek. A firm believer in the "PC building is just like expensive…
CableMod’s adapters damaged up to $74K worth of Nvidia GPUs
Melted 12VHPWR connector made by CableMod for the RTX 4090.

CableMod's adapters were meant to fix the problem of melting connectors on Nvidia's top GPU, the RTX 4090, but it appears that things didn't go as planned. The Consumer Product Safety Commission has posted a notice that the CableMod 12VHPWR angled adapters are being recalled due to fire and burn hazards. More than 25,300 adapters are to be returned, and the affected customers are eligible for a full refund.

The connectors on the RTX 4090 have been melting ever since the GPU hit the shelves in late 2022, and so far, the only fix seems to lie in careful installation and picking the right PC case that can accommodate this monstrous card. CableMod's angled adapters showed a lot of promise, at least initially. Seeing as bending the cable can contribute to the overheating, an angled adapter should have been just the fix -- but unfortunately, the melting continued, even with the use of CableMod's solution.

Read more
Nvidia just fixed a major issue with its GPUs
The Nvidia RTX 4080 Super on a pink background.

If you've been unhappy with the performance of your graphics card lately, you might want to check out Nvidia's latest beta driver. This is a hotfix driver, which is pretty unusual for Nvidia, but it can be helpful if you've been dealing with micro-stuttering, both in games and on the desktop. The update addresses four issues in total, but to get it, you'll have to dig a little deeper than the standard path of updating your drivers.

Nvidia typically bundles bug fixes with its usual Game Ready drivers, as urgent hotfixes tend to be few and far between. However, this time, Nvidia chose not to wait any longer and pushed four updates for its GPU range. The new driver version, 551.46, may fix annoying stuttering issues.

Read more
The RTX 4080 Super doesn’t move the needle — and it doesn’t need to
The RTX 4080 Super graphics card sitting on a pink background.

I suspect the RTX 4080 Super will be disappointing to some people. That doesn't make much sense, considering the RTX 4080 Super will replace the base RTX 4080, but for a market fixated on generational improvements and small percentage wins, it looks like a disappointing GPU.

Nvidia set the bar low, claiming performance improvements in the low single digits. The tests I ran for our RTX 4080 Super review show even smaller gains -- around 1% on average, often rounded up from less than a single percentage point. So, what's so super about this supposed Super refresh?

Read more