Skip to main content

Nvidia’s next-gen GPU plans could be good news for Intel and AMD

Two RTX 4070 Ti Super graphics cards sitting next to each other.
Jacob Roach / Digital Trends

According to a new leak from Benchlife, Nvidia may launch the vast majority of the RTX 50-series in the first quarter of 2025 — but one GPU is notably missing from the early lineup. That could be very good news for AMD and Intel. While Nvidia will rule the high-end market, the other two brands may get to swoop in with some of the best graphics cards for gamers on a budget and get some breathing room before Nvidia strikes back.

Benchlife reveals that we’ll see many of the RTX 50-series staples arrive in the first quarter of the year. The flagship RTX 5090 and the RTX 5080 arriving in January feel like a sure thing at this point, but many leakers also suggest that we’ll see other GPUs make their debut during CES 2025.

Recommended Videos

The RTX 5090, RTX 5080, RTX 5070 Ti, and RTX 5070 are all said to be launching in the first quarter of the year. The RTX 5090D is also said to be coming around that time, and it’s likely to be a cutdown version of the RTX 5090 made to be exported to China. There’s no mention of the RTX 5080D, though. That implies the base RTX 5080 may have specs and performance that already make the cutoff.

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

Benchlife also revealed a bit more of the specs for the upcoming GPUs. We heard about the RTX 5070 Ti yesterday, which is said to feature 8,960 CUDA cores. Benchlife now adds that it’ll also have 16GB of GDDR7 memory. Meanwhile, the RTX 5070 is said to sport 6,400 CUDA cores, a 250-watt thermal design power (TDP), and 12GB of GDDR7 memory. The signs are all there pointing toward Nvidia keeping the RTX 5060 with just 8GB of VRAM, but of course, all of this is just speculation at this point.

Power adapter on the RTX 4070 Ti Super graphics card.
Jacob Roach / Digital Trends

With four GPUs hitting the shelves in the first quarter, Nvidia will have pretty good coverage of the market, from the high-end to the mainstream. However, the lack of news about the RTX 5060 Ti and the RTX 5060 is interesting. Could it be that Nvidia is taking its time with releasing its most popular GPUs?

That kind of adds up. Recent leaks revealed that Nvidia is reportedly ending production for just about every RTX 40-series GPU apart from the RTX 4060, and if the 5060 is not expected to arrive until later, that might be why Nvidia continues making new RTX 4060s.

Assuming all of the above checks out, Intel and AMD will have a unique opportunity to strike at the budget side of the market without much next-gen competition from Nvidia. Both manufacturers are said to be aiming for the mainstream market, with AMD’s flagship unlikely to be able to rival anything above an RTX 5070 Ti. As such, having less competition with a delayed RTX 5060 is good news all around for AMD and Intel.

It won’t be long before we know more. Nvidia is rumored to announce the RTX 50-series at CES 2025 in January, and AMD is set to do the same with RDNA 4. Intel may strike first, with Battlemage possibly arriving in December.

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 just scaled down DLSS 3, and that’s a good thing
The RTX 4080 Super graphics card sitting on a pink background.

Nvidia's signature tech, DLSS 3, just got yet another update -- and although it's subtle, it actually seems like a good thing for some of the best graphics cards. The latest version, 3.8.10, bundled with the GeForce 566.14 driver, doesn't seem to introduce any major changes, but Nvidia enthusiasts noticed that it's about half the size that it used to be. Where's that difference coming from?

No, Nvidia didn't downgrade DLSS 3 -- at least not in any major way. Although this hasn't been confirmed by Nvidia itself, it appears that the company removed a whole bunch of DLSS presets and replaced them with just two. These presets make it easier for gamers to choose the type of focus they want to apply to each game.

Read more
Rest in pieces: Nvidia is finally ditching GeForce Experience for good
The Nvidia app on the Windows desktop.

We've had the Nvidia app for a while, but now, it's available officially. About a year ago, Nvidia launched the Nvidia app into beta as a one-stop-shop for managing some of its best graphics cards, including grabbing new drivers, messing around with different features, and optimizing your game settings. Now, it's out of beta, officially replacing the legacy GeForce Experience and Nvidia Control Panel apps, and with some new features in tow.

One of the biggest draws of the Nvidia app initially was driver downloads. It may seem mundane, but you'd previously need to download GeForce Experience and create an Nvidia account for GPU driver updates. If you didn't, you'd have to search and install your drivers manually. The Nvidia app gives you access to new drivers, and notifies you when they're ready, all without an Nvidia login. Now, signing in is optional for "bundles and rewards" offered by Nvidia.

Read more
Nvidia’s RTX 40-series is coming to an end
Three RTX 4080 cards sitting on a pink background.

Out with the old, in with the new. According to Board Channels, Nvidia has now halted production for nearly all of its best graphics cards as it shifts focus to the RTX 50-series. Only one GPU remains in production, and some of the cards that are the most in demand are no longer being produced.

Nvidia hasn't officially announced that it's sunsetting the RTX 40-series, but we've been hearing more and more reports that imply that might be the case. The RTX 4090 was among the first cards to go out of production, and the discontinuation appears to have immediately affected the markets. Nvidia's behemoth flagship was hard to come by at the best of times, and now, as no more new units are being produced, it's safe to assume that this situation won't improve. The cheapest RTX 4090 I could find on Amazon costs nearly $2,000, but you can still snag one for .

Read more