I never expected that what was originally highly likely to be delayed might now be canceled. The RTX 5080 was going to have a 24GB version, and in this era of an extreme shortage of large-VRAM graphics cards, both AI users and gamers were very much looking forward to it, but this may not happen after all. According to recent reports, NVIDIA has reportedly canceled the launch plan for the GeForce RTX 5080 24GB because the 3GB GDDR7 it was expected to switch to is too expensive, and the cost is too high, so it was terminated.
NVIDIA RTX 5080 24GB rumored to be canceled! 3GB GDDR7 costs 3 times as much as 2GB, and the 16GB version continues production.
According to VideoCardz According to the report, the latest news from China’s Bobaotang indicates that NVIDIA has notified AIC partners that it has canceled the RTX 5080 24GB plan originally scheduled for launch in January 2027, and has not provided a new launch date. This means the graphics card may not be seen in the short term, and whether it will still be launched in the future remains unknown:
According to earlier rumors, the RTX 5080 24GB was originally intended to replace the existing RTX 5080 16GB and become NVIDIA’s flagship GeForce graphics card in the Chinese market. VideoCardz also mentioned that earlier reports indicated NVIDIA would stop shipping the RTX 5080 16GB and RTX 5090 series to pave the way for the new card.
The launch plan for this graphics card can be said to have changed several times over the past month. In mid-October, reports first indicated that the RTX 5080 24GB would replace the 16GB version in Q1 2027. By late October, it had changed to NVIDIA accelerating the launch, with the card potentially arriving as early as December or as late as January, and the remaining 16GB inventory only enough to sell for about two months.
Image source:Wccftech
A few days later, the wind changed again,BenchLife reports that, as of the end of October, AIC vendors still had not received the design kits needed to develop new cards.A January launch probably wouldn’t make it. And now it has simply turned into the entire plan being canceled. From possibly moving up the launch to December to being terminated, less than two weeks passed in total.
Although the reason for the cancellation is said to be that 3GB GDDR7 is too expensive, this is nothing new—after all, even grandpas and grandmas at the wet market probably already knew memory prices had skyrocketed. For NVIDIA to only now feel the cost is too high is a bit hard to justify. In addition, earlier reports had already revealed that 3GB GDDR7 costs 3 times as much as standard 2GB GDDR7.
VideoCardz A July report noted that a 3GB GDDR7 chip costs about $60 to $70, while a standard 2GB GDDR7 chip costs only about $20. Capacity is just 50% higher, but the price is about 3 times as much. Looking directly at the numbers makes it more tangible:
- 2GB version: 8 units × $20 = $160
- 3GB version: 8 units × $60 to $70 = $480 to $560
- The difference: on video memory alone, each card costs $320 to $400 more.
Of course, this price may be the market rate provided by channel sources rather than NVIDIA’s actual purchase price; contract prices for major manufacturers usually vary. But it is beyond doubt that 3GB GDDR7 is much more expensive than 2GB GDDR7.
Therefore, the RTX 5080 16GB—originally rumored to be replaced by a 24GB version and phased out—will now likely continue to be released.
But then again, the RTX 5080 24GB has been nothing more than a supply-chain rumor from beginning to end, and NVIDIA has never officially confirmed its existence. Until there is an official statement, just take it as speculation and don’t get your hopes up too high.
Source: KOCPC Chinese