NVIDIA has been trying its darndest to take the pressure off the infuriating GPU shortage, from launching the mining-specific CMP GPUs and rumours suggesting that it plans on rebooting production of the RTX 2060 or GTX 1650 GPUs. As of now, that alleged reboot list now includes the GTX 1080 Ti.
The rumours first appeared in the forums of the Seoul-based tech site, Quasar Zone, when a user told a tale of how they submitted a faulty EVGA GTX 1080 Ti SC2 graphics card that was still under warranty. Instead of repairing the card, the brand simply provided them with a brand new model in return. More to the point card supposedly had a production date of 2021.
The GTX 1080 Ti is already four years old at this stage and there are several explanations as to why EVGA decided on replacing the card in its entirety, rather than simply take a little more time to fix it. First, it can be reasoned that the NVIDIA AiB partner may still carry some old stock of the Pascal card, which is standard practice for most companies.
The second possibility and this is the one that many rumour mongers are erring towards, is that NVIDIA may have quietly ordered EVGA, along with other brands, to restart the production line for the Pascal-powered card, at least until supply for its Ampere cards return to acceptable levels.
Again, this is all just speculation and half-whispers, but if it were to be believed, it’s irrefutable that the GTX 1080 Ti would be a damn sight better than the initial rumour surrounding the GTX 1650.
(Source: Quasar Zone via Hot Hardware)
