A new report from the supply chain underscores how severely memory shortages are dictating the graphics card market. According to Board Channels, NVIDIA and its add-in-board partners have established a supply plan for the first quarter of 2026 where a staggering 75% of all GeForce RTX 50 series shipments will be concentrated on just three specific models, all with lower memory configurations.
This strategic pivot prioritizes the GeForce RTX 5060 Ti 8GB, RTX 5060 8GB, and RTX 5070 (12GB) as the “volume” leaders, leaving the remaining 25% of supply to be split among all other models, including high-VRAM cards that are more expensive to produce.
The Logic of Scarcity: Memory Costs Drive Allocation
The decision is a direct response to the ongoing crisis in GDDR memory supply and pricing. With memory chips being both scarce and costly, it makes economic sense for NVIDIA and its partners to focus production on models that use fewer or less expensive memory modules per card.
The RTX 5060 Ti 8GB is named as the primary volume driver, followed by the RTX 5060 8GB. The inclusion of the RTX 5070 with 12GB in this core group is a slight deviation from earlier rumors that solely highlighted 8GB cards, but it still represents a mid-range memory configuration. This mix allows NVIDIA to maximize the number of GPUs it can ship within the constraints of its available memory supply.
The Consumer Impact: A Market Skewed Toward Lower VRAM
For PC builders and gamers, this allocation plan has clear implications:
- Easier to Find, Harder to Future-Proof: The most commonly available cards in Q1 will be those with 8GB and 12GB of VRAM. Finding models with 16GB or more will be significantly more difficult and expensive.
- Validation of Earlier Rumors: This report aligns with and clarifies earlier leaks about production shifts. It explains why partners like ASUS briefly flagged the 16GB RTX 5070 Ti as “end-of-life”—it wasn’t being terminated, but pushed to the minor share of the supply quota.
- Strategic Market Segmentation: NVIDIA is effectively segmenting the market by VRAM. Mainstream buyers will have options, but enthusiasts seeking high memory capacity for 1440p/4K gaming or content creation will face a constrained and premium-priced selection.
A Quarter Defined by Constraint
The report notes that distributors will need to adjust their sales strategies around this “core mix.” This official guidance confirms that the component shortages plaguing the industry are not easing and that companies are making long-term planning decisions based on them.
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Q1 2026 is shaping up to be a period where choice is limited not by GPU silicon, but by the memory that surrounds it. For consumers, the message is to temper expectations: the broad, diverse lineup presented at launch will not be equally represented on store shelves. The cards that are easiest to find will be those that are least expensive for NVIDIA to build.
Source: boardchannels