NVIDIA RTX 5080 24 GB Reportedly Cancelled Over 3 GB GDDR7 Cost

NVIDIA has reportedly told its add-in-board partners that it is cancelling the planned January 2027 launch of the GeForce RTX 5080 24 GB, because 3 GB GDDR7 memory chips cost roughly three times as much as the 2 GB chips on today's card, according to a Nov. 11 post on the Chinese forum Board Channels.

NVIDIA has not confirmed the report and has never announced a 24 GB RTX 5080. Club386, which picked the post up from VideoCardz, quotes the source as saying the launch plan was cancelled with no clear later schedule, calling it a "temporary cancellation" because the 3 GB chips' price cannot come down. The 16 GB RTX 5080 would stay on sale, and Notebookcheck says NVIDIA will keep buying 2 GB modules for it.

Why 3 GB GDDR7 Memory Costs Decide the Card

The reported reason is the same squeeze we described when the card's street price reached double its launch price. As Voltgrid reported on Oct. 29, the cheapest in-stock 16 GB RTX 5080 was $1,999 against a $999 launch price, and memory makers were steering DRAM output toward AI products. The FPS Review ties the cancellation to the same cause, saying memory is being prioritised for data centers and other enterprise AI work. That link is the outlet's reading, not something NVIDIA or a memory maker has said about this card.

The 24 GB card was meant to reuse the existing GB203 graphics chip, which carries a 256-bit memory bus. By our arithmetic, that bus connects eight 32-bit memory chips, so swapping 2 GB chips for 3 GB ones lifts capacity from 16 GB to 24 GB without a new chip design. That is why the scarce 3 GB part decides the whole product. Earlier rumors, reported by Club386, priced the card at about $2,999 (£2,250), more than the RTX 5090's original launch price.

A reversal, and a disputed scope

Board Channels is contradicting itself. In late October it claimed NVIDIA was bringing the 24 GB card forward to December 2026 or January 2027 while winding down the 16 GB model, Notebookcheck notes. That fit the disappearance of the RTX 5080 from NVIDIA's online store, which we covered on Oct. 31, when the cheapest in-stock card Tom's Hardware found was $2,199.99. The new claim implies the 16 GB card is not being phased out after all, though no source says it will return to NVIDIA's store.

Outlets also disagree on scope. Notebookcheck frames the report as a cancelled Chinese launch, with the 16 GB model remaining NVIDIA's top GeForce card in China. Club386 and The FPS Review describe a cancellation of the card itself. The Board Channels post, as quoted, does not settle which is right.

The report points to no relief for buyers of the existing card: the 16 GB model stays the top option while its street price stays high. We reported on Nov. 3 that partners were reportedly raising RTX 50 prices in China, by up to roughly $500 on top cards, per TechPowerUp, and that NVIDIA had not confirmed that either.

What NVIDIA Has Not Confirmed About the 24 GB Card

NVIDIA has made no statement since the report appeared; a search of the last 24 hours found none. The 24 GB RTX 5080 has no official specification, price or date, and every figure above, including the roughly threefold chip-cost gap and the $2,999 estimate, comes from rumor. We could not read the original Board Channels post or VideoCardz's write-up, so the quotes come through Club386 and Notebookcheck. The FPS Review notes that a reveal of the card at CES 2027 had been speculated last month; with this report, that looks less likely, but NVIDIA has said nothing either way.