Nvidia: Sorry, Founders Edition GeForce RTX 5070 Won't Arrive on Launch Day

(Credit: Nvidia)

Nvidia's GeForce RTX 5070 goes on sale on March 5, but don’t waste your time hunting for the Founders Edition.

Nvidia is telling reviewers, including PCMag, that the FE model won’t arrive on launch day. “The RTX 5070 Founders Edition will be available later in March,” the company said in an email without elaborating.

That’s bad news for anyone looking to buy the 5070 for $549. Founders Edition models are often highly sought after since they always launch at the official starting price, making them one of the most affordable options before third-party cards hit the market with high markups.

As a result, GPU buyers who need an RTX 5070 right now will have to buy from third-party vendors. But in some good news, it looks like online retailers, including Best Buy, Newegg, and B&H Photo, plan on carrying Asus, MSI, and Zotac RTX 5070 models for $549.

Although it's unclear why the Founders Edition RTX 5070 is facing a delay, there have been signs that Nvidia is experiencing quality control problems with its GPUs. Last month, several buyers of the RTX 5090 noticed that their graphics cards arrived with fewer render output units (ROPs) than advertised, causing a performance loss.

Nvidia has since attributed the missing ROPs to a “rare issue affecting less than 0.5% (half a percent) of GeForce RTX 5090 / 5090D and 5070 Ti GPUs,” and also 5080 models. Affected users can contact their GPU provider for a replacement.

The other problem is that supplies for the RTX 5000 series are extremely low, making it hard for consumers to obtain the graphics cards. So don’t be surprised if the RTX 5070 sells out tomorrow. Sales are expected to begin online starting at 6 a.m. PST. Best Buy told PCMag it plans on selling its own inventory through online sales only.

If you miss out, AMD plans on selling its own PC graphics cards, the Radeon RX 9070 and RX 9070 XT, starting on March 6 for $549 and $599, respectively.

About Our Expert

Michael Kan

Principal Reporter

My Experience

I've been a journalist for over 15 years. I got my start as a schools and cities reporter in Kansas City and joined PCMag in 2017, where I cover satellite internet services, cybersecurity, PC hardware, and more. I'm currently based in San Francisco, but previously spent over five years in China, covering the country's technology sector.

Since 2020, I've covered the launch and explosive growth of SpaceX's Starlink satellite internet service, writing 600+ stories on availability and feature launches, but also the regulatory battles over the expansion of satellite constellations, fights with rival providers like AST SpaceMobile and Amazon, and the effort to expand into satellite-based mobile service. I've combed through FCC filings for the latest news and driven to remote corners of California to test Starlink's cellular service.

I also cover cyber threats, from ransomware gangs to the emergence of AI-based malware. In 2024 and 2025, the FTC forced Avast to pay consumers $16.5 million for secretly harvesting and selling their personal information to third-party clients, as revealed in my joint investigation with Motherboard.

I also cover the PC graphics card market. Pandemic-era shortages led me to camp out in front of a Best Buy to get an RTX 3000. I'm now following how the AI-driven memory shortage is impacting the entire consumer electronics market. I'm always eager to learn more, so please jump in the comments with feedback and send me tips.

The Best Tech I've Had:

My first video game console: a Nintendo Famicom
I loved my Sega Saturn despite PlayStation's popularity.
The iPod Video I received as a gift in college
Xbox 360 FTW
The Galaxy Nexus was the first smartphone I was proud to own.
The PC desktop I built in 2013, which still works to this day.

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