End game for the Founders Edition cards of the Ampere generation. Make way for Ada Lovelace..
When NVIDIA releases a new generation and new models of graphics cards, it often offers a version called Founders Edition. These are models designed internally at NVIDIA, based on the reference design of the products and offered at MSRP by the American brand. So, during the long period of shortage that punctuated the Covid-19 pandemic, NVIDIA was the only one to comply with this MSRP and only the GeForce RTX 3080 Founders Edition was sold at 719 euros when the models of partners were often negotiated two or even three times this price.
On previous generations, NVIDIA used to sell its Founders Edition only for a few months. The idea was to accompany the release of a new model, but not necessarily for its entire commercial career. Again, the Covid-19 pandemic period was a bit special. Faced with considerable shortages and the difficulty of finding cards at "reasonable" prices, NVIDIA continued to sell Founders Edition for much longer than it was used to. However, this sale is coming to an end.
A few days ago, the latest GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Founders Edition went on sale on NVIDIA's official store and, in the wake of the stock clearance, the American brand has simply removed all Founders Edition from its catalog. In other words, it is no longer possible to buy a Founders Edition from the RTX 3050 to the RTX 3090 Ti. A withdrawal that will not surprise anyone, however: since last fall, NVIDIA has been marketing the Ada Lovelace range.
Initially limited to the GeForce RTX 4090, the range has gradually expanded with the release of the RTX 4080 and RTX 4070 Ti. The latest rumors suggest that the RTX 4070 model could be released in mid-April, followed by the RTX 4060 and RTX 4060 Ti in June. On some of these models Founders Edition versions are available/planned and NVIDIA wants to completely switch its catalog to the Ada Lovelace generation after having made the Ampere range last longer than expected, to sell off stocks.
