Nvidia and Asus shutdown reports that the 16GB RTX 5060 Ti & 5070 Ti are end of life

Asus and Nvidia have poo-pooed the idea that two graphics cards (GPUs), the RTX 5060 Ti and 5070 Ti 16GB models, have been discontinued. After a whirlwind of speculation, it seems that the cards will simply be hard to find, rather than sitting in the end-of-life category.

The Escapist reached out to Nvidia and received back from the spokesperson the same response everyone else got:

“Demand for GeForce RTX GPUs is strong, and memory supply is constrained. We continue to ship all GeForce SKUs and are working closely with our suppliers to maximize memory availability.”

Meanwhile, Asus has had to put out a more public press release to confirm it hasn’t binned the two graphics cards. They’re simply victims of the ongoing hardware shortage created by artificial intelligence companies.

Asus said pretty much the same thing:

“The GeForce RTX 5070 Ti and GeForce RTX 5060 Ti 16 GB have not been discontinued or designated as end-of-life (EOL). ASUS has no plans to stop selling these models.

“Current fluctuations in supply for both products are primarily due to memory supply constraints, which have temporarily affected production output and restocking cycles. As a result, availability may appear limited in certain markets, but this should not be interpreted as a production halt or product retirement.”

This news came out of Hardware Unboxed, who had requested hardware from manufacturers, to find that there weren’t any 5070 Ti GPUs available. They then had a conversation with an Asus representative who, according to Asus, gave incorrect information.

While this could be Asus and Nvidia covering their tracks, it’s more than likely that the GPUs in question are just going to be scant going forward.

No one wants an 8GB graphics card, Nvidia

Specifically, it’s the 16GB models that will start doing the vanishing act. As AI data centers crave as much RAM as possible, some of that video RAM packed onto gaming cards is going to be sent to where the money actually is.

What’s the likely outcome here is that we’ll see the GeForce brand lean back on providing less VRAM in their cards. It’s already been reported that Nvidia intends to send RAM-less GPUs out to smaller partners.

It’s been collectively agreed that 8GB, Nvidia’s standard for years on its cards outside of flagships, is no longer viable in modern gaming. This is why you see continuous updates with upscaling, like DLSS 4.5, as these companies try to mask problems with their hardware through software tools.

In 2026, if a graphics card doesn’t have a minimum of 12GB, it’s not future-proofed and will likely be left behind in the coming years. That’s where upscaling, like DLSS, is supposed to come in. However, even the latest hardware is sporting the same amount of VRAM that cards from years ago were, something that has gotten potential GPU buyers’ backs up in recent years.