Nvidia has reportedly told board partners it will not build the RTX 5080 24 GB for China, blaming the cost of 3 GB GDDR7 memory.
The company told its add-in board partners that the January 2027 launch in China is off, and it gave no replacement date.
It was the only 24 GB consumer card Nvidia had lined up for China.
Three times the memory cost
Memory is the stated cause: the card would have used 3 GB GDDR7 modules, reportedly priced at around three times the 2 GB parts in the existing 16 GB RTX 5080.
Every card in the RTX 50 series uses 2 GB modules, so the 24 GB version would have stood alone in the line-up, needing a different memory supply from the rest of the family.
RTX 5080 16 GB and the cancelled 24 GB card
RTX 5080 16 GB
2 GB GDDR7 modules
- Uses the 2 GB GDDR7 modules Nvidia keeps buying
- Stays in production
- Remains the highest-end GeForce card sold in China
- The reported $2,000 price for the 24 GB card is twice its MSRP
RTX 5080 24 GB, cancelled
3 GB GDDR7 modules
- 3 GB modules reportedly cost about three times the 2 GB parts
- Planned China launch in January 2027 is off
- Reported launch price of about $2,000
- No replacement date given
The price case against it
One report said the card could have launched at about $2,000, twice the MSRP of the 16 GB Founders Edition of the RTX 5080.
Nvidia reportedly decided to drop the release because the higher price would’ve hurt sales.
What China is left with
The 16 GB variant survives. It had previously been rumoured to be on its way out, but it stays in production.
Supposedly, Nvidia will keep buying 2 GB GDDR7 modules, leaving the 16 GB RTX 5080 as the highest-end GeForce card the company sells in China.
The 24 GB card had been expected in China as early as December 2026.
A launch date that kept moving
Partners were waiting on development documents needed to design, engineer, test and mass-produce their own boards and cooling; they were due in October, but hadn’t arrived by the end of the month.
That is what first put the release in doubt.
Board Channels suggested the opposite in late October: Nvidia was speeding the launch up to December 2026 or January 2027, while winding down production of the 16 GB card.
The accounts don’t agree on timing: one had the card in China from December 2026, Nvidia’s dropped plan was for January 2027, and the late-October claim was that the date had been pulled forward.
- OctoberDocuments missing
Development documents partners need had not reached them by the end of the month.
- Late OctoberAcceleration report
Board Channels suggested a December 2026 or January 2027 launch, with 16 GB production winding down.
- December 2026Earliest expected window
Reports had the 24 GB card in China from December 2026.
- January 2027Launch called off
The planned China launch Nvidia has told partners about is off, with no replacement date.
Prices already rising
RTX 5080 prices are being pushed up at the same time, with street prices potentially reaching $3,000 and MSI reportedly raising its price by up to $1,200.
The RTX 5090 sits well beyond the reach of most gamers, so there is no easy step up from the 16 GB card.
According to reports, the 24 GB model’s status is still in flux, and the 16 GB variant could end up the most powerful Nvidia GPU anyone can buy. No revised launch date has been given, and the only dated milestone in the plans, a January 2027 launch in China, has been called off.
What we know
- Nvidia has told add-in board partners that the January 2027 launch of the RTX 5080 24 GB in China is off.
- The 16 GB RTX 5080 stays in production.
- The cancellation is blamed on the cost of 3 GB GDDR7 modules.
Still unclear
- Whether Nvidia will name a new release date or window for the 24 GB card.
- Whether the 24 GB card will be released outside China.
- Whether the reported $2,000 launch price and the $3,000 street price hold, since both are reported rather than announced.
