Fact Check: Is Nvidia Discontinuing Its Mid-Tier RTX 50-Series Graphics Cards?

Over the last few days, social media, forums and YouTube have been buzzing with one claim:

“Nvidia is discontinuing its mid-tier RTX 50-series cards.”

The GPUs people are most worried about are the RTX 5070 Ti 16GB and RTX 5060 Ti 16GB, the sweet-spot cards for 1440p and high-refresh 1080p gamers.

So, is Nvidia really killing these models, or is this another case of the internet running faster than the facts?

The Claim

The panic started when reports suggested that:

• Asus had marked the RTX 5070 Ti and RTX 5060 Ti 16GB as “end-of-life (EOL)”,
• Retailers in some regions couldn’t reorder these cards, and
• A YouTube report (Hardware Unboxed) said Nvidia had effectively stopped supply of certain 16GB mid-tier models.

From there, headlines and thumbnails quickly turned into “Nvidia is discontinuing its 50-series mid-range”.

Verdict: Misleading, Not Fully True

Short answer:

No – Nvidia has not officially discontinued the entire mid-tier RTX 50-series.
However, 16GB mid-tier models like the RTX 5070 Ti and RTX 5060 Ti are under heavy supply pressure and may be deprioritised in favour of other SKUs.

Here’s why that’s the fairest way to frame it.

What Asus Actually Said

After the initial “EOL” chaos, Asus published a public statement to clear things up.

• Asus now explicitly says that the RTX 5070 Ti and RTX 5060 Ti 16GB are not discontinued or marked end-of-life.
• They blame fluctuations in availability on memory supply constraints, which have reduced production output and slowed restocking cycles.

In other words, from Asus’ side:

• The cards are still in their product line-up.
• Stock is low because there isn’t enough memory, not because they’ve decided to kill the models.

That’s a big correction compared to the initial EOL messaging that sparked the rumours in the first place.

What Nvidia Has Said So Far

Nvidia has also responded to questions about the supposed discontinuations.

In a statement shared with Wccftech, Nvidia said that:

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

That’s as close to an official “we haven’t killed these products” as you’re going to get without a full PR press release titled “We Promise, We Didn’t Kill the 5070 Ti.”

So officially:

• All RTX 50-series SKUs are still in production, including mid-tier parts like the 5060, 5060 Ti and 5070/5070 Ti.

Where the “Discontinued” Narrative Comes From

Even though Nvidia and Asus are both saying “not discontinued”, there is a reason people feel like these cards are being killed off.

Recent reporting suggests Nvidia is realigning its RTX 50-series gaming stack:

• AIC (board) partners have reportedly been told that some 16GB models – including RTX 5060 Ti 16GB and RTX 5070 Ti 16GB – may see production halted or heavily reduced,
• Nvidia is said to be prioritising:
  • 8GB mainstream models like the RTX 5060 Ti 8GB
  • High-end 16GB cards like the RTX 5080 and RTX 5090,
  • While cutting back on certain overlapping 16GB mid-tier SKUs.

At the same time, memory prices are climbing thanks to AI datacentre demand, and there are rumours that future “SUPER” refreshes of the RTX 50-series may be delayed or cancelled because high-density GDDR7 is simply too valuable to waste on mid-range gaming cards.

So while Nvidia’s official line is “we’re still shipping all SKUs”, from a practical, retail-shelf point of view, it can feel like:

• Some 16GB mid-tier cards are vanishing,
• Prices are jumping well above launch levels, and
• Shelf space is being dominated by cheaper 8GB models and very expensive flagships.

That’s exactly the environment where people start shouting “discontinued!”, even if the paperwork doesn’t say EOL.

So, Are Mid-Tier RTX 50 Cards Safe?

Let’s break it down by category.

Still officially part of the line-up

According to current information:

• RTX 5050 8GB
• RTX 5060 8GB
• RTX 5060 Ti 8GB
• RTX 5070 12GB
• RTX 5080 16GB
• RTX 5090 32GB

are all clearly shipping and marked as “in production”.

These cover entry-level, mainstream and high-end segments.

Under pressure: 16GB mid-tier models

The cards at the centre of the storm are:

• RTX 5060 Ti 16GB
• RTX 5070 Ti 16GB

Here, the reality looks like this:

• Nvidia’s official stance: still shipping all GeForce SKUs.
• Asus’ official stance: no plans to discontinue, EOL labelling was a PR error; low stock is due to memory constraints.
• Industry reporting: Nvidia and board partners are prioritising 8GB and top-end models, and some 16GB mid-tier cards may see their production capped or wound down to free up scarce memory.

That’s why the fairest summary is “deprioritised and supply-constrained, not officially discontinued.”

What This Means for PC Gamers in the UK

If you’re in the UK looking at Scan, Overclockers UK, Amazon UK, Ebuyer and the usual suspects, here’s how to interpret all of this in practical terms:

1. Expect patchy stock on 16GB mid-tier RTX 50 cards.
   RTX 5070 Ti 16GB and RTX 5060 Ti 16GB are likely to be in and out of stock, and some board partners may quietly stop introducing new custom designs.
2. Prices will likely be higher than launch.
   Global memory shortages plus AI demand mean retail prices can float far above the original “MSRP” numbers – it’s not unusual to see cards that launched near, say, the mid-£700s sitting much closer to £900–£1,000 or beyond, depending on the model and cooler.
3. 8GB models will dominate the mid-range shelves.
   Nvidia is incentivised to push 8GB SKUs where possible because they’re cheaper in terms of memory bill-of-materials. That’s what many rumours and supply-chain reports are pointing to.
4. AMD and Intel become more attractive.
   If Nvidia’s 16GB mid-tier stock stays tight, AMD’s RDNA 4 mid-range and upcoming Intel cards may offer better price-to-performance in that £300–£600 sweet spot.

Should You Buy Now or Wait?

Here’s a simple way to frame it for your readers:

Buy now if…

• You specifically want a 16GB RTX 5070 Ti or 5060 Ti and you find one at a remotely sensible price from a trusted UK retailer.
• You’re building a system in the next few weeks and can’t afford to wait months for the market to stabilise.
• You’re targeting 1440p high refresh and have a library that benefits from DLSS and Nvidia’s ecosystem.

Consider waiting if…

• You’re flexible on brand and open to AMD or future Intel GPUs.
• You don’t strictly need a card right now and want to see:
  • How far mid-range Nvidia prices climb,
  • Whether more RTX 50-series supply returns later in 2026,
  • How AMD prices its competing mid-range cards.

In short:

Don’t panic-buy, but don’t assume 16GB mid-tier Nvidia cards will get cheaper or more plentiful either.

Extra: Alternative, Copyright-Safe Headline Variations

If you want a few more unique titles to A/B test in search or on social:

1. Nvidia’s RTX 50-Series Drama: Are 16GB Mid-Range GPUs Quietly Being Phased Out?
2. RTX 5070 Ti & 5060 Ti Supply Crisis Explained: Cut, Paused or Just Scarce?
3. GPU Shortages, AI, and the RTX 50-Series: What’s Really Happening to Nvidia’s Mid-Tier Cards?

All of the above and the main article are written from scratch, so you’re fine on copyright originality. Just make sure you link out to Nvidia’s and Asus’ official statements and the key reports in your CMS for transparency.