Why Nvidia Skipped New Cards at CES 2026
At CES 2026, Nvidia did something it had not done in five years: it took the stage without a single new graphics card to show. Instead of hardware, the company leaned on software. The headline was DLSS 4.5, built around a second-generation transformer model for Super Resolution and a new 6X Dynamic Multi Frame Generation mode that shifts frame multipliers on the fly. Nvidia paired that with G-SYNC Pulsar monitors and a claim of 250-plus games and apps supporting Multi Frame Generation. Ahead of the show, Nvidia publicly quashed the RTX 50 Super rumors, telling the world up front there would be no new GPUs at the event.
Here is the important nuance for a buying decision. What Nvidia itself confirmed is narrow: no new GPUs announced at CES 2026. The broader claim that no new RTX gaming cards will ship across all of 2026 comes from reporting, notably The Information and follow-ups at Tom's Hardware, not from an official Nvidia policy statement. It is well-corroborated, but treat it as strong reporting rather than a company promise. Either way, the practical takeaway is the same: the card you buy now may need to last you years longer than you planned.
The next-generation RTX 60 series, reportedly once slated to enter mass production at the end of 2027, is now widely reported to be pushed to 2028 or later. The culprit is memory. Nvidia's Blackwell cards use GDDR7, which competes for the same fabrication capacity as the DDR5 system RAM and HBM that AI data centers are devouring. With gaming a shrinking slice of Nvidia's profits, the company is steering wafers and memory toward far more lucrative AI silicon.
The Super Refresh: Delayed, Not Dead
Enthusiasts pinned their hopes on an RTX 50 Super refresh, meaning faster, higher-VRAM versions of existing cards at similar prices. Reports suggest Nvidia actually finished much of the design work, but the memory crunch made ramping up Super production unattractive. Leaks now point to CES 2027 as the most credible window, and even that date carries a risk of slipping further.
Treat any specific Super date as a rumor. The only confirmed fact is what Nvidia said out loud: nothing new at CES 2026. Planning a purchase around an unannounced, repeatedly-delayed refresh is a gamble, especially when memory shortages could keep supply tight well beyond next year.
Prices Are Climbing, So Buy Smart
Here is the uncomfortable part. Because production is constrained, existing RTX 50 cards have generally gotten more expensive, not cheaper. In early 2026, hardware leakers reported Nvidia cut graphics card allocations to add-in-card partners by roughly 15 to 20 percent, and analyses found average RTX 50-series prices had climbed on the order of 15 to 19 percent over a three-month span. A $1,000 budget that covered an RTX 5080 in late 2025 bought only an RTX 5070 Ti a few months later.
The RTX 5070 Ti is the poster child. It launched at a $749 MSRP, but through mid-2026 real-world prices have generally sat between roughly $900 and $1,069, with premium AIB models pushing past $1,200. Prime Day did briefly drag select models back to around $900, but that is still well above sticker for a card that was supposed to be the sweet-spot 1440p champion.
This dynamic reshapes the entire buying calculus. When Nvidia cards drift far above MSRP, AMD's RDNA 4 lineup, which has largely settled back near its own sticker prices, suddenly looks like the smarter money. Let us break it down.
Current GPU Prices and Specs at a Glance
Here is where the market actually stands in the US as of July 2026. MSRP is the launch price; "street" reflects typical real-world pricing from Amazon, Newegg, Best Buy and Micro Center listings plus price trackers. Expect day-to-day fluctuation.
| GPU | VRAM | MSRP | Street (Jul 2026) | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| RTX 5070 Ti | 16GB GDDR7 | $749 | ~$900-$1,069+ | High-refresh 1440p / entry 4K |
| RX 9070 XT | 16GB GDDR6 | $599 | ~$649-$689 | Best value 1440p/4K |
| RX 9070 | 16GB GDDR6 | $549 | ~$599-$650 | Efficient 1440p |
| RTX 5070 | 12GB GDDR7 | $549 | ~$599 | 1440p with DLSS |
| RX 9070 GRE | 12GB GDDR6 | $549 | ~$549 | 1440p on a budget |
| RTX 5060 Ti 16GB | 16GB GDDR7 | $429 | ~$569 | 1080p/1440p, big VRAM |
A few notes on those numbers. AMD's RX 9070 and 9070 XT spent months above MSRP after launch but eventually settled back toward it, with the XT appearing in pre-Prime Day deals in the $649 range. Nvidia's cards, by contrast, have mostly drifted the wrong way. The RTX 5060 Ti 16GB, once a $429 value pick, now hovers near $569, and reports have even suggested Nvidia could wind down the 16GB variant as GDDR7 costs rise.
Best Overall Value: RX 9070 XT
For most gamers building a serious 1440p or entry-level 4K rig, the Radeon RX 9070 XT is the card to beat right now. It packs 64 RDNA 4 compute units (4,096 stream processors), 16GB of GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus, and a 304W board power, with boost clocks reaching around 2,970 MHz. Reviewers pegged it as excellent value at its $599 MSRP, trading blows with the RTX 5070 Ti while costing meaningfully less.
The math is what makes it compelling today. When the 9070 XT is available around $649-$689 and the 5070 Ti is stuck near $900-$1,000, you are looking at a $250-$350 gap for broadly comparable rasterization performance and the same 16GB of VRAM. RDNA 4 also closed much of AMD's historical ray-tracing deficit, and FSR has matured into a genuinely useful upscaler, even if DLSS still holds an image-quality edge in many titles.
The one caveat is supply. AMD's value is real only when stock is healthy, so buy when you see it near MSRP rather than paying a scalper premium. To see how it stacks up against the rest of the field, our GPU tier list ranks current cards by real-world gaming performance.
Best High-End Buy: RTX 5070 Ti (If You Can Find It Near MSRP)
If you are committed to Nvidia, whether for CUDA workloads, DLSS 4.5, superior ray tracing, or NVENC streaming, the RTX 5070 Ti remains the sensible high-end pick in a year with no new launches. It brings 16GB of GDDR7 on a 256-bit bus and enough horsepower for high-refresh 1440p and competent 4K.
The problem is entirely price. At its $749 MSRP it is a strong card; at $1,000-plus it is a tough sell against a sub-$700 RX 9070 XT. Supply has been genuinely rocky, too: reports in January 2026 claimed ASUS had pushed the 5070 Ti and 5060 Ti 16GB into end-of-life status, though ASUS later disputed that characterization while confirming memory constraints had hit production and restocking. My advice: set a price alert, and only pull the trigger if you find one close to sticker. Paying flagship money for a mid-tier chip because of an AI-driven memory shortage is not a great use of your budget.
Whatever you choose here, confirm the card clears the games you actually play at your target resolution first. Our Can I Run It checker lets you match a specific GPU against a game's requirements before you spend.
Best 1440p on a Budget: RTX 5070 vs RX 9070 GRE
The $549-$599 tier is a genuine coin flip. The RTX 5070 offers 6,144 CUDA cores and DLSS 4.5, but it is saddled with only 12GB of VRAM and typically sells around $599, above its own MSRP. That 12GB buffer is adequate for 1440p today, but it gives you less headroom as textures balloon, which matters more than usual when this card may need to serve you until 2028.
AMD's answer is the RX 9070 GRE, a formerly China-only SKU that went global on June 2, 2026 at $549. It uses 48 RDNA 4 compute units and 12GB of GDDR6 on a narrower 192-bit bus (about 432 GB/s of bandwidth), and AMD positioned it between the RX 9060 XT and RX 9070. AMD's own figures put it around 21 percent faster on average than the RTX 5060 Ti 16GB in 1440p rasterization, though independent reviews note the 12GB buffer and trimmed bus can bite once ray tracing is switched on. If you value raw frames per dollar and are less attached to DLSS, the GRE is a strong 1440p option. If you lean on DLSS, ray tracing, or productivity apps, the 5070 earns its slight premium.
Best Value Under $600: RTX 5060 Ti 16GB
For 1080p and lighter 1440p gaming, the RTX 5060 Ti 16GB is still worth a look, largely because of that generous 16GB frame buffer on a sub-$600 card. That VRAM is its trump card, letting it handle high-resolution textures and future titles more gracefully than the 8GB cards it sits above.
Temper your expectations on price, though. It launched at $429 but now commonly sells closer to $569, and reports suggest its 16GB variant could be curtailed as GDDR7 costs rise. If you can find one near the low $500s, it is a reasonable buy. Above that, the extra $80-$120 to reach an RX 9070 GRE or RX 9070 buys you a real step up in performance.
What About Waiting or Buying Used?
Waiting is the instinctive move, but it may backfire. The DRAM and GDDR7 shortage is projected to persist for years. SK Hynix's chairman, Chey Tae-won, has warned the broader memory crunch could stretch toward 2030, with the industry supply shortfall staying above 20 percent, because new fab capacity is being steered toward high-margin HBM for AI. The Super refresh is unconfirmed and repeatedly delayed, and the RTX 60 series is a 2028 story at the earliest. There is simply no guarantee prices fall soon.
The used market is a viable middle path. Last-gen RTX 40 and RX 7000 cards can offer strong value, and even used RTX 5070-class cards have appeared around $550. Just verify warranty status, avoid ex-mining cards where you can, and benchmark on arrival.
The Bottom Line
In a normal year the advice would be "wait for the refresh." This is not a normal year. Nvidia showed nothing new at CES 2026, reports say none is coming all year, the memory shortage is squeezing supply, and prices are trending up. That makes the best GPU to buy 2026 the one that delivers the most performance per dollar today, and right now that is overwhelmingly AMD's RDNA 4 lineup, led by the RX 9070 XT near MSRP, with the RTX 5070 Ti reserved for buyers who need Nvidia features and can find one at a fair price.
Is Nvidia really not releasing a new gaming GPU in 2026?
Nvidia confirmed it would not announce any new GPUs at CES 2026, its first such year in five, and it focused on software like DLSS 4.5 instead of hardware. The broader claim that no new RTX gaming card will launch across all of 2026 comes from reporting (notably The Information), not an official Nvidia statement, so treat it as well-supported reporting rather than a guarantee.
When is the RTX 60 series coming out?
Based on current reporting, the RTX 60 series has slipped to 2028 or later. It was reportedly meant to begin mass production at the end of 2027, but the ongoing memory shortage pushed that timeline back. Treat any exact date as an unconfirmed rumor.
What is the best GPU to buy 2026 for 1440p gaming?
For most people it is the AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT, which offers 16GB of VRAM and strong 1440p performance near its $599 MSRP. If you prefer Nvidia and can find one close to its $749 MSRP, the RTX 5070 Ti is the alternative, though it has often sold well above that this year.
Why are GPU prices going up in 2026?
A global memory shortage is the main driver. GDDR7 and DDR5 compete for the same production capacity that AI data centers are consuming, and Nvidia reportedly cut partner GPU allocations by roughly 15 to 20 percent. Constrained supply plus steady demand has pushed street prices above MSRP.
Should I buy a GPU now or wait for the RTX 50 Super?
Buying now is the safer bet. The Super refresh is unconfirmed and has been delayed toward CES 2027 at the earliest, and the memory shortage means prices may not fall soon. If you need a card today, buy a well-priced current option rather than waiting on an unannounced product.
