5 days ago
I'm ready to wait for the RTX 50 Super as my next GPU upgrade, but it's not that simple
While I already own one of the best graphics cards, it's hard to deny that I'm always looking for upgrades. Or rather, always telling myself I don't quite need to upgrade just yet, and then still staring at all sorts of new benchmarks, and then doing a quick GPU price check just in case … What can I say, I love a new GPU release.
It's no wonder that the idea of the rumored RTX 50-series refresh excites me, then. Leakers claim we're looking at huge VRAM upgrades — something that many gamers need right now. However, there are a few things that worry me, making me reconsider whether the RTX 50 Super will be worth waiting for.
The upgrade that gamers so badly need
If there's one thing most PC gamers can agree on these days, it's that GPUs could use more VRAM. This is especially true for 8GB graphics cards, which are a bit of a budget trap. They're kind of good enough for right now, but what about in three or four years? Games demand more and more video memory, which makes it harder to recommend these graphics cards if you're looking for something to run AAA titles on high settings for a few years.
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This is partly why many PC gamers are currently waiting for Nvidia's RTX 50-series refresh, also known as the Super cards. While Nvidia hasn't as much as confirmed their existence, many leakers agree that the Super refresh is likely to happen, and it sounds pretty exciting on paper. Mind you, none of these leaks have been confirmed by Nvidia, so take them with a healthy serving of salt.
Recently, well-known leaker kopite7kimi teased a possible configuration for an RTX 5080 Super, the successor to the base RTX 5080. Kopite7kimi said that we can expect the same number of CUDA cores, but a vastly improved memory interface.
GeForce RTX 5080 Super
PG147-SKU35
GB203-450-A1
10752FP32
256-bit GDDR7 24G 32Gbps
400+W — kopite7kimi (@kopite7kimi) May 20, 2025
The RTX 5080 Super is said to feature 24GB of VRAM, clocked at 32Gbps. This means that Nvidia wouldn't just add an extra 8GB of VRAM to the existing RTX 5080; it'd also use faster memory modules. All in all, this would be a huge upgrade.
VideoCardz shared the rumored specs for the other two cards currently speculated to receive a refresh — the RTX 5070 Ti Super and the RTX 5070 Super. The 5070 Ti Super is said to retain the same core count, while the RTX 5070 Super might get a slight 4% increase.
Both cards see nice memory upgrades, though. The RTX 5070 Ti Super might end up on par with the RTX 5080 Super, now equipped with 24GB of VRAM, while the RTX 5070 Super could be bumped up to 18GB. Gains across the board.
The gains stretch to include the cards' TDP, though. Every GPU is said to receive an increase in power draw, ranging between 25 and 55 watts.
Sooner than expected
While many expect the RTX 50 Super to launch at some point, I have to say that I didn't expect it to be this year. However, TweakTown claims that we might see the cards just in time for the holiday season in 2025.
This would be a departure from what Nvidia has done in the previous generation. A more likely timeline would include an announcement at CES 2026 in January, followed by a January to February release. However, if Nvidia can get the cards out quicker, that'd be great.
Not only is the end of the year a popular time for shoppers, but it's also the time when many AAA games launch. Moreover, given the current state of the GPU market, adding more graphics cards to the shelves is always going to be a good idea.
On paper, everything sounds great, and all we can hope for is that Nvidia actually goes through with this rumored plan. If it does, we'll have more GPUs available, with more robust memory interfaces, ready to deal with some of the most demanding games.
And yet, I'm worried.
As things stand right now, you'd be hard-pressed to find a decent GPU selling at the recommended list price (MSRP). Many sell for hundreds of dollars above that price, including cards like the RTX 5090 and the RTX 5080. This complicates things, and seeing as it's been the case for the majority of the year (or all of it, really), it's hard for me to believe that the market conditions might miraculously improve between now and December.
Right now, we're forced to hunt for upgrades and either pay a premium or wait for weeks on end for something at MSRP to be restocked. Nvidia has to be aware of the situation, so the question is: Will the current market conditions affect the pricing of the RTX 50 Super?
In my opinion — it's possible. Even if Nvidia doesn't choose to price the cards a lot higher than their predecessors, the current supply and demand might still cause high pricing across the board.
Is the RTX 50 Super worth waiting for?
If you're currently buying a GPU, you might be wondering whether there's any point in just holding off for an RTX 50 Super card instead. I get it — the VRAM upgrades are enticing, and as GPUs are expensive right now, you're no worse off just waiting.
However, we don't know when, or even if, Nvidia will launch these graphics cards. We don't know their exact specs or, most importantly, their prices. Waiting is a gamble right now, and it might pay off, but it could also backfire.
My advice is to keep an eye on your retailer of choice and look for GPUs that are close to the MSRP. If you spot one of the few graphics cards that are worth buying right now, go for it and don't look back. There'll always be something new to look forward to, so you could end up stuck in a perpetual waiting room otherwise.
