NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 FE Retail Launch Pushed to Late March

The official launch of the GPU is set for tomorrow, but if you’re eyeing the Founders Edition, you’ll have to wait a bit longer, as it’s not hitting the shelves until late March.

### NVIDIA Postpones RTX 5070 FE Launch, Rescheduling for Later This Month

NVIDIA has decided to push back the debut of their GeForce RTX 5070 FE GPU. Although this announcement hasn’t come directly from NVIDIA themselves, credible word from Andreas Schilling indicates that they reached out to him via email with news of the delay. Just a few hours ago, the embargo on RTX 5070 reviews was lifted, with tomorrow originally planned as launch day.

Andreas Schilling, from Hardware Luxx, mentioned that NVIDIA had informed him of this change just before the reviews went public. So, if you were planning to snag a Founders Edition of the GeForce RTX 5070 GPU right away, you might need to exercise some patience. There’s still no word on whether this delay will also impact the retail release of the AIB editions, but given the current scarcity reports, they might not be easy to find either.

Thinking of picking up a GeForce RTX 5070 Founders Edition tomorrow? Not so fast. NVIDIA alerted us 2 1/2 hours before the review embargo lifted:

“The RTX 5070 Founders Edition will be available later in March.” pic.twitter.com/8BntkzNc7T

— Andreas Schilling 🇺🇦 🇮🇱 (@aschilling) March 4, 2025

There’s potential for a repeat of the so-called “paper launch,” akin to what happened with the RTX 5090, RTX 5080, and RTX 5070 Ti. Early reviews are painting a picture of the GeForce RTX 5070 as delivering performance similar to the RTX 4070 Super. While it might not stand out with dramatic generational improvements, its marginal edge over the RTX 4070 Super, priced at $549, seemed reasonable.

If you’re struggling to find one at that price, it might be worth biding your time for AMD’s releases—the Radeon RX 9070 XT and RX 9070. These are set to hit the market on March 6, with reviews going live a day earlier. Pricing is pegged at $599 for the XT and $549 for the non-XT version, positioning the RX 9070 as a strong contender against the RTX 5070.

The delay surrounding the GeForce RTX 5070 appears to be shrouded in mystery. Rumors have circulated about performance bugs and chip supply issues affecting the GPU, but NVIDIA hasn’t confirmed any specific reasons.

While the delay of the Founders Edition might disappoint some, the AIB custom editions are expected to maintain their global presence. Just yesterday, the GPU was spotted on retailers like B&H Photo Video with an MSRP of $549 for both the base and OC models. However, if prices for AIB versions breach the $600 mark, it may be wise to hold off, unless your location lacks similarly powerful alternatives.