RTX 5070 Ti price manipulation allows GPUs to meet pre-release date review guidelines
It's no secret that retailers are selling RTX 5080 and RTX 5090 GPUs for well above MSRP. RTX 5070 Ti buyers are now accusing manufacturers like Asus of playing tricks to meet Nvidia's review embargo criteria. The official RTX 5070 Ti release date is February 20th, but reviews of $749 MSRP cards should appear on February 19th. However, despite articles expected on this date, almost no GPUs are listed at this price.
Review embargos for higher-priced RTX 5070 Ti cards will end on February 20th. That may not seem like a huge difference, but the first reviews always receive the most attention. VideoCardz.com noted how the same price manipulation benefited coverage of other RTX 50 series cards. In one example, Asus initially listed the RTX 5080 Prime with standard clock speeds at $999. As a result, the graphics card was included in the first wave of reviews. Only a week later, the price of the RTX 5080 Prime jumped to $1265 at Asus' own store.
Buyers have no guaranteed MSRP option without an Nvidia RTX 5070 Ti Founders Edition. Nevertheless, Nvidia recommended a $749 starting price for the cards. When U.S. buyers glance at Micro Center and Best Buy listings, the only RTX 5070 Ti close to that mark is a single PNY GPU. The situation isn't any better overseas, with European retailers advertising startling high RTX 5070 Ti price points.
The blame game for RTX 5070 Ti pricing is ongoing, with Nvidia taking much of the criticism. Reportedly, one reason why EVGA exited the GPU business is Nvidia, which made it impossible to profit from custom cards. Low supply plays a massive role, while tariffs force manufacturers to rethink prices. As usual, it's consumers who ultimately end up suffering the most.
The first RTX 5070 Ti benchmarks show its performance is surprisingly close to the RTX 5080. Unfortunately, paying $250 less for the GPU seems like a pipe dream at this point.
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