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NVIDIA reveals RTX 3060 launch date to board partners

If the rumors pan out, the RTX 3060 will officially launch by month's end.

Chris Jarrard

February 8, 2021 1:45 PM

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Thanks to some retail inventory leaking out into the wild and a fresh batch of rumors, we may have a solid idea of when NVIDIA plans to officially launch its midrange RTX 3060 graphics cards. With low retail supply of any type of desktop GPU, this new offering from NVIDIA looks to have a chance to be a monster hit if it can keep up with demand. Current rumors indicate that the GPU will officially launch on February 26 at an introductory price of $329.

We’ve known that the RTX 3060 was destined for release since it was officially unveiled last month at CES. It will offer 12GB of GDDR6 VRAM and a 192-bit memory interface. NVIDIA teased a February release date at CES and it appears they will be making good on this promise. Some retailers have already started listing board partner models ahead of any official release date announcement.

TFW unreleased GPUs price is already hiked by over 100€ #SiliconGang pic.twitter.com/2cXbQ7IWtr

— Casmoden 👏NEVER.SETTLE👏 (@Casmoden) February 7, 2021

As with any piece of high-end retail electronics, there is a strong chance that these GPUs will be just as hard to acquire as the last several models that have come down the stream. COVID-19 certainly didn’t help matters late last year and the recent cryptocurrency value spike has ushered in the return of GPU mining. Large chunks of available chips are being put to work mining ethereum and that means less product for normal gaming-centric consumers. 

Most board partner variants of the RTX 3060 Ti are now selling for $599 thanks to new tariffs and product shortage. It’s hard to imagine that a new GPU that is slightly lesser in performance will sell for $329, but if NVIDIA and the board partners can flood retail channels, the RTX 3060 could be an oasis in a desert for gamers who have been waiting years to upgrade.

Chris Jarrard

Contributing Tech Editor

Chris Jarrard likes playing games, crankin' tunes, and looking for fights on obscure online message boards. He understands that breakfast food is the only true food. Don't @ him.