Nvidia is seemingly instructing its AIB partners to limit their supply of the GeForce RTX 5060 Ti 8GB model to improve availability of the 16GB version, according to a report from Board Channels. This move follows months of sales data that showed users’ preference for the high-VRAM variant, so it’s unlikely to be a result of production issues. All signs point to a controlled strategy whose objective is to satisfy the demand for the 16GB version while limiting the in-stock inventory of the 8GB model.
This seems to be a reaction to the latter’s poor sales compared to the 16GB version, as data from retailers confirms users’ preference for the large-capacity model. For instance, Mindfactory had previously indicated selling 16 times more RTX 5060 Ti 16GB than RTX 5060 Ti 8GB, which is absolutely telling considering that their general performance is similar as long as the VRAM capacity doesn’t come into play.
When taking into account their low price difference, users seem to concur that the extra $50 of the RTX 5060 Ti 16GB ($429 MSRP) is worth it to future-proof their machine and avoid dialling down graphics settings when using 1440p monitors. A situation that is also happening to AMD with its Radeon RX 9060 XT. No one wants to put this much money into a piece of hardware just to see it become obsolete in a year or two.
The worst part is that even current games are already exposing the weakness of the 8GB variant. Selecting the highest texture setting in some games leads to a frame-rate drop to a degree you don’t need an fps counter to notice the change. Slap some ray tracing on top of that, and you can be sure to regret not choosing the 16GB model, which handles the same games much more gracefully. Not to mention that the 16GB cards are likely to maintain a higher value on the second-hand market, allowing their owners to recoup more of their investment when the time comes to upgrade.
Nvidia is starting to understand that gamers are no longer throwing money out the window, as more check product reviews before purchasing hardware. The days of ‘tricking’ customers through similar product names and inflated claims are slowly coming to an end – at least for those who don’t pre-order. What is sure is that Nvidia won’t have a hard time advertising its RTX 5060 Ti 16GB as users are already convinced of its higher value.
