Nvidia GeForce RTX 5080 24GB January launch reportedly cancelled, as memory prices run riot

With prices for 24GB RTX 5080 cards estimated at $2,999, you can see why Nvidia might be getting cold feet about this rumoured launch.

Nvidia has reportedly told its graphics card partners that it’s cancelling the launch of a 24GB version of its GeForce RTX 5080 in January 2027, and hasn’t provided a clear replacement launch plan. The problem, unsurprisingly, is apparently memory prices, with the cost of 3GB GDDR7 chips being too high to make the launch economical.

This latest rumour comes from a source on Chinese tech insider forum Board Channels, as spotted by PC hardware site Videocardz. As such, bear in mind that this is very much unofficial, and firmly in rumour territory. Nvidia hasn’t even acknowledged the existence of the RTX 5080 24GB at this stage, after all.

According to the source [machine translation], “Nvidia has internally notified its AIC (add-in card) partners to officially cancel the January 2027 launch plan for this model, and there is no clear subsequent launch schedule.” The source adds that the “temporary cancellation” has been undertaken “because the price of 3GB memory chips cannot be reduced; the cost is too high, making it economical to meet market demands.”

Nvidia GeForce RTX 5080 24GB cancelled, according to Board Channels
Image: Board Channels via Videocardz.

Earlier rumours pointed to the RTX 5080 24GB price being a colossal £2,250 / $2,999 if it launched, which would be a hard sell. That’s a lot more than the RTX 5090’s original MSRP, with 8GB less memory and less than half the number of CUDA cores.

If this rumour is true, it looks as though there may only be one new GPU launching in 2027, with AMD reportedly looking to launch one desktop model based on its RDNA 5 architecture.

While the gaming GPU outlook is bleak at the moment, it’s understandable that Nvidia would decide not to launch this card in January 2027 if those pricing estimates are accurate. It just wouldn’t sell.

Here’s hoping that 2028 at least brings some cheer to PC gamers looking to upgrade. In the meantime, if you need a new card now, check out our guide to buying the best GPU for your needs, which we’ve recently updated to take current pricing into account.

Ben Hardwidge
Ben Hardwidge
Managing editor of Club386, he started his long journey with PC hardware back in 1989, when his Dad brought home a Sinclair PC200 with an 8MHz AMD 8086 CPU and woeful CGA graphics. With over 25 years of experience in PC hardware journalism, he’s benchmarked everything from the Voodoo3 to the Nvidia GeForce RTX 5090. When he’s not fiddling with PCs, you can find him playing his guitars, painting Warhammer figures, and walking on the South Downs.

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