It has been the better part of a year since Nvidia announced its next-gen Blackwell architecture. While most of the focus at the time was on Blackwell's AI "Superchip" format , the design will also be at the heart of Nvidia's new consumer GPUs. With release probably just around the corner, the launch lineup is becoming clear. A new report claims the first Blackwell GPU will arrive in January, but it won't be the top-of-the-line model.
Nvidia will use Blackwell to power numerous cards in the GeForce RTX 50 series, which will eventually feature everything from ultra high-end to entry-level GPUs. As with the RTX 40 launch, Nvidia will start with the most powerful cards. A new report from Wccftech claims Nvidia has settled on launching the RTX 5080 first. This is a switch from the RTX 40, when the flagship 4090 debuted about a month ahead of the cheaper RTX 4080.
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang will deliver a keynote address at CES in January 2025, and everyone expects him to officially launch the Blackwell gaming GPUs. The report suggests Huang will detail the RTX 5090, 5080, and 5070 GPUs. The reveal will include both desktop and laptop variants of the chips.
Nvidia has been slow to ship Blackwell AI hardware, reportedly thanks to some design tweaks and issues with overheating . You won't have to wait very long to get your hands on the new GPUs, though. The GeForce RTX 5080 with 16GB of VRAM should be available a few weeks after CES in mid-January.
Nvidia's upcoming GPUs share their underlying architecture with the latest AI processors. Credit: Nvidia
If the second-best GPU doesn't cut it for you, the wait for the true flagship won't be much longer. Nvidia is reportedly aiming for the end of January or early February to launch the RTX 5090. This GPU is expected to offer a substantial performance uplift versus the RTX 4090 series, setting a new standard for high-end PC gaming. It'll probably cost you, though.
The RTX 40-series was notable not only for its performance gains but also for the sky-high price. The RTX 4090 debuted at $1,600 , and the 4080 was $1,200. The latter was a $500 jump versus the 3080. Demand for Nvidia silicon has only increased since then, thanks to continued investment in AI compute among the world's largest tech firms. Some leaks have put the RTX 5090 as high as $2,500, which would leave room for another big price increase for the 5080. We'll know more come CES.
