In context: Regardless of launching over three years in the past and being succeeded by the RTX 40 collection, Nvidia has continued to offer some updates to GeForce RTX 30 collection graphics playing cards. This time round, Nvidia has requested that producers and retailers make yet one more change to the RTX 3060.
In accordance with Board Channels, a Chinese language product info supply, Nvidia plans to proceed distributing RTX 3060 GPUs a minimum of till Q1 2024. Shipments could stop beginning in Q2 2024, however this may rely upon producers’ curiosity in persevering with RTX 3060 gross sales.
Nvidia has requested that these new shipments be priced underneath 2,000 RMB, which is roughly $280. The technique goals to keep up the RTX 3060’s aggressive pricing in opposition to AMD’s barely extra highly effective rivals, the Radeon RX 6700 XT and the Radeon RX 6750 GRE.
Final yr, Nvidia made a fairly peculiar replace to the RTX 3060 graphics card final yr, re-releasing it with diminished reminiscence capability. This transformation was uncommon: Nvidia diminished the capability from 12 GB to eight GB, aligning it with the marginally extra highly effective RTX 3060 Ti. In an period the place video games more and more demand extra reminiscence, this resolution appeared counterintuitive for customers, significantly as the worth remained on the unique MSRP.
Additionally learn: Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 8GB: Why You Ought to Keep away from It
Because the RTX 3060 approaches its third anniversary, the graphics card had but to expertise a big value discount. Whether or not it is the unique 12 GB mannequin or the 8 GB model, the costs have typically hovered across the meant MSRP of $330. Nevertheless, in latest months, the playing cards have began to drop beneath $300.
Sometimes, Nvidia begins phasing out previous-gen playing cards a couple of yr after launching new ones. With the RTX 4060 launched in June 2023, the RTX 3060’s prominence may be short-lived however given the novel demand for AI GPUs, possibly this might change.
Within the meantime, in response to Nvidia’s requests, the Asia-exclusive graphics card producer Onda has already launched its newest RTX 3060 mannequin, the RTX 3060 Aegis 12GD6-B V2, priced at 1,899 RMB (roughly $268). It stays to be seen if or when AIBs and producers in different areas will adhere to Nvidia’s pricing advice.