Nvidia’s new budget GeForce RTX 5070 graphics card, launched at CES 2025 with a price tag of $550, has generated controversy after CEO Jensen Huang claimed it would outperform the previous generation’s $1,600 RTX 4090. Despite the backlash, the RTX 5070 is selling out rapidly, even with significant price increases.
Nvidia’s RTX 5070: Controversial claims, sold out at $650+
Reviews published this week criticized Huang’s performance claims. Tech channel Gamers Nexus described the assertion that the two cards were comparable as “an absolute flat-out lie.” Similarly, Linus Tech Tips titled their review “This is a 4090 Killer… and I’m a Liar.” Ars Technica characterized the RTX 5070 as “hard to classify as anything other than a disappointment.”
Testing results indicated that the RTX 5070’s performance was only slightly above that of last year’s 4070 Super, with a notable increase in power consumption. The only context in which Nvidia’s claim of parity with the 4090 holds some weight is through the use of the new DLSS Multi-Frame Generation technology, which boosts framerates by interpolating three frames for each rendered frame. This technology, however, caused games like Cyberpunk 2077 to feel sluggish and resulted in numerous visual artifacts during movement.
The situation surrounding Nvidia’s broken CES promises is compounded by the chaotic and undersupplied graphics card market. Many consumers do not anticipate finding the RTX 5070 at its official $550 MSRP. Launch day stock of the card sold out almost immediately, according to PC Mag, raising questions about its actual availability.
Available RTX 5070 cards are currently priced at $650 or above, and scalper listings have reached into the thousands. The new AMD Radeon RX 9070 line, which has received positive reviews, is also selling for more than its $550-$600 MSRP but appears to have better availability. The future of the graphics card market remains uncertain amid trade wars and the ongoing AI arms race. Competition from brands like AMD may positively influence the market dynamics.
Featured image credit: Nvidia
