Following initial reports that Nvidia could be readying a so-far unannounced RTX 3060 Ti for release on November 17, just a day before AMD's RX 6800 XT and RX 6800, a report by EXPreview suggests there's been a slight delay for the mid-range 30-series debut, which will see it arrive on December 2.
The first of two rumours today comes from MyDrivers (via Videocardz), which claims the RTX 3060 Ti release date is November 17, 2020. That would have Nvidia releasing a brand new RTX 30-series graphics card one day prior to AMD's RX 6800 XT and RX 6800.
Yet that tentative date didn't stick around for long. Soon after, EXPreview (via Momomo_US) posted an update claiming the release date for the RTX 3060 Ti had shifted to December 2. A small two-week delay not unlike the planned delay to the RTX 3070.
Of course, both dates are are unconfirmed. As is the card itself, of course. Nvidia has yet to officially announce its intentions with either an RTX 3060 Ti, or RTX 3060 for that matter, although recent leaks do confidently suggest that such a card exists.
Most recently the RTX 3060 Ti appeared within a GPU-Z validation entry over at TechPowerUp. That entry suggested it would pack 4,864 CUDA Cores and 8GB of GDDR6 memory, enough to see it slot in just below the $499 RTX 3070.
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A slight delay to Nvidia's plans would make some sense for the GPU giant. Not only is Nvidia currently working on improving availability of its brand new graphics cards, following a bumpy launch and continued absence of GPUs now into November, but it's also now likely looking to combat AMD's RX 6000-series.
The AMD RX 6900, RX 6800 XT, and RX 6800 were officially announced last week, with availability starting November 18. AMD is claiming to have the competitive advantage over Nvidia's high-end Ampere graphics cards with its RDNA 2 architecture, and for less cash too.
We'll have to find that out for ourselves before we claim either company the victor this generation, but if past experiences are any indication, we'll also see last-minute manoeuvres from both sides to give their cards the best position in performance and pricing.
As it stands today, AMD is unable to offer any direct response to the supposed RTX 3060 Ti. The cheapest option from the red team being the RX 6800 at $579. Perhaps that's why Nvidia's looking to sneak out a quick and affordable Ti before the year's up. The big question remains, though: Will Nvidia be able to manufacture near enough to satisfy demand?
