NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 FE Retail Launch Reportedly Pushed to Late March

The much-anticipated GPU rollout might take off tomorrow, but if you were hoping to snag an RTX 5070 Founders Edition, prepare for a bit of a wait. This version won’t hit shelves until late March.

NVIDIA has slightly postponed the retail release of its GeForce RTX 5070 FE GPU. Although the company hasn’t made an official announcement, gaming expert Andreas Schilling received an email from NVIDIA detailing the delay. Just hours ago, NVIDIA lifted the review embargo for the RTX 5070, aligning with what was initially slated as its retail launch date.

Andreas Schilling, a Hardware Luxx editor, shared that NVIDIA informed him of this delay only a few hours before they lifted the review embargo. So, if you had plans to get your hands on the GeForce RTX 5070 Founders Edition, you might be out of luck for now. As for the AIB (Add-In-Board) versions, it’s uncertain if their release will be affected as well. Given the buzz about limited availability, don’t expect to find them easily on store shelves.

In a recent update, Andreas tweeted a snippet of NVIDIA’s message, indicating no GeForce RTX 5070 Founders Edition will be seen until later in the month.

It’s possible we might witness another elusive launch, reminiscent of what happened with the RTX 5090, RTX 5080, and the RTX 5070 Ti. For now, reviews from major tech outlets paint the GeForce RTX 5070 as offering roughly the same performance as the RTX 4070 Super. While it may not showcase groundbreaking advancements over previous models, its price tag of $549 makes it a decent buy, given its slight edge over the RTX 4070 Super.

However, if you’re struggling to find the 5070 at its retail price, it might be worth considering waiting for the imminent launch of the Radeon RX 9070 XT and RX 9070 GPUs. These are set to debut on March 6th, with reviews coming out a day prior. With prices of $599 for the XT and $549 for the non-XT, the RX 9070 directly challenges the RTX 5070, promising a competitive choice for gamers.

Unfortunately, the GeForce RTX 5070’s delayed availability is shrouded in mystery. Earlier rumors hinted at possible bugs impairing performance, and supply chain hiccups, but NVIDIA hasn’t publicly acknowledged any such issues.

While the Founders Edition might be delayed, hope remains that custom AIB versions will still become available worldwide. Retailers like B&H Photo Video have already listed the GPU at the $549 MSRP for both standard and overclocked models. However, if AIB options soar past $600, you might want to hold off unless no other similarly powerful option is available in your area.