1080 FE and AIB cards now both to be available May 27th

[Creig]

According to Kyle Bennett over at [H]

I have a mail into NV about that now. I was expected to see those within 48 hours of launch.

Update:

This is an interesting change of events. Many of our readers have been a bit upset with how the "new" Founders Edition GTX 1080 cards were to be rolled out. Many readers saw this FE simply as a reference card with a new name that was being charged $100 extra for while AIB partner cards were making their way to market. It has been referred to as an "early adopters" tax more than once. That seems that it might now be the case now. I expected Founders Edition cards to be for sale within 48 hours of today's GTX 1080 launch, but that is not the case. NVIDIA has just informed me that Founders Edition cards will be available at the same time as AIB partner cards. The MSRP + $100 pricing still stands, it just seems now you will not have the option of getting the FE a week or two before AIB cards.

Presumably from NVIDIA - "Yes, availability for 1080 for FE and partner cards is slated for May 27th."

So anyone wishing to purchase a 1080 Founders Edition card (or any kind of 1080) will have to wait until the end of the month. Yet Nvidia isn't dropping the price on the FE edition. You'll still have to pay $100 more than MSRP of the AIB cards to get a reference card. Craziness.

Edit - Somehow I misread the review and thought it was the AIB's cards that would be available on the 27th.

 

[96Firebird]

Uhh, why would Kyle expect FE cards to be released before May 27th? During the presentation, it was said that the 1080 would be available starting May 27th, more than a couple times as well.

 

[MangoX]

It's a crazy markup for such a midrange die, but it is Nvidia so I'm not surprised. They did it with 680 as well. I'd wait until GP100.

 

[Creig]

Uhh, why would Kyle expect FE cards to be released before May 27th? During the presentation, it was said that the 1080 would be available starting May 27th, more than a couple times as well.

The way I understood the situation is that the FE cards would be available shortly after the launch date while the AIB cards wouldn't be available until the 27th.

 

[96Firebird]

I never heard that at all... The only thing I read is that people assumed AIB cards would ship later in June, with the FE card available May 27th (to justify the increased price).

 

[crisium]

Is the "PAPER" your play on his fair and balanced Nano coverage, or did he actually make an article with that and is actually showing rarely seen self-reflection?

 

[Creig]

I never heard that at all... The only thing I read is that people assumed AIB cards would ship later in June, with the FE card available May 27th (to justify the increased price).

I guess I must have glossed over reading that part. So instead of the FE edition being pushed back, Nvidia has pulled forward the AIB launch? But are keeping the cost of the FE edition $100 higher than MSRP?

Still confused.

 

[Creig]

Is the "PAPER" your play on his fair and balanced Nano coverage, or did he actually make an article with that and is actually showing rarely seen self-reflection?

The title was my creation in the spirit of their Nano coverage.

 

[MarkizSchnitzel]

The way I understood the situation is that the FE cards would be available shortly after the launch date while the AIB cards wouldn't be available until the 27th.

How is 27th not "shortly"? Assuming it is available for purchase at the that time, it's only 3 weeks. Or do GPU vendors play by different rules?

 

[railven]

I guess I must have glossed over reading that part. So instead of the FE edition being pushed back, Nvidia has pulled forward the AIB launch? But are keeping the cost of the FE edition $100 higher than MSRP?

Still confused.

This is what I thought from the start.

Founder's Edition launch on the 27th available immediately from everyone (why we saw some sites already linking their vards).

What I assumed was "custom" cards would come a few days later, but I'm assuming now they will be available same day (probably in limited quantities versus Founder's Card, most likely to appease NV and their greed).

Galax showed their "custom" card which is a ref PCB with a batmobile cooler. MSI has been doing this since the GTX 980 if I recall correctly. Selling at first a ref PCB with a ugly cooler than throwing it on a custom PCB, and it was usually $20-30 cheaper than MSRP

The Galax looks almost identical.

Since a youtube review site showed that an Accelero IV works with the ref PCB GTX 1080, I predict we'll see a lot more ref PCB + Custom cooler options than expected come launch day.

If the AIBs just have to slap their own cooler on it to escape the "Founder's" tax, I can see them doing this. Since I'm sure the "Founder's" version probably cost them more upfront versus just a chip and PCB.

That's my speculation.

 

[96Firebird]

I guess I must have glossed over reading that part. So instead of the FE edition being pushed back, Nvidia has pulled forward the AIB launch? But are keeping the cost of the FE edition $100 higher than MSRP?

Still confused.

My personal opinion is that Nvidia hasn't changed anything, and that AIB cards were always going to be released on May 27th, or within a week of May 27th.

http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?p=38212405#post38212405

A lot of people (I guess Kyle included) assumed Nvidia was charging more for early adopters because that would be the only way to get the card. The new part to me is that the FE cards would be released before May 27th.

Maybe he knows something we don't know, since he has contact with those in-the-know. Maybe Ryan Smith can pipe in here and shed some light on why Kyle thought FE cards were coming sooner than May 27th?

Either way you look at it, the whole FE card debacle has backfired on Nvidia. Way too confusing with little information about why these cards are $100 higher than MSRP and why they're so special. Launch the reference cards alongside custom cards and don't pretend like they're something they're not.

 

[Keysplayr]

According to Kyle Bennett over at [H]

So anyone wishing to purchase a 1080 Founders Edition card (or any kind of 1080) will have to wait until the end of the month. Yet Nvidia isn't dropping the price on the FE edition. You'll still have to pay $100 more than MSRP of the AIB cards to get a reference card. Craziness.

Presumably for the "better" cooler and the "higher binned" chips on the founders boards. I have a feeling the AIB partners aren't going to keep their 1080s at 599.00 as suggested by reviewers. That is probably only a "suggestion" by Nvidia to their partners. Except for the utmost vanilla 1080s (Galaxy, Palit), and maybe not even then, will you see 599. I'd be very pleasantly surprised if we do, but Im not counting on that.

 

[selni]

What does he think changed? Availability was always meant to be the 27th wasn't it? That was very clear from as far back as the original announcement...

 

[Rvenger]

The title was my creation in the spirit of their Nano coverage.

In other words trolling right? Change it. This is old news by the way.

-Rvenger

 

[dark zero]

What does he think changed? Availability was always meant to be the 27th wasn't it? That was very clear from as far back as the original announcement...

That better custom cards are meant to be delayed.

 

[Stuka87]

Presumably for the "better" cooler and the "higher binned" chips on the founders boards. I have a feeling the AIB partners aren't going to keep their 1080s at 599.00 as suggested by reviewers. That is probably only a "suggestion" by Nvidia to their partners. Except for the utmost vanilla 1080s (Galaxy, Palit), and maybe not even then, will you see 599. I'd be very pleasantly surprised if we do, but Im not counting on that.

Founders cards are not binned at all, they are just plain jane reference cards.

But I definitely agree that we will not see ANY AIB cards at the MSRP price. If anything, they will all be $50 more than the founders cards.

 

[selni]

That better custom cards are meant to be delayed.

Nvidia only ever said founders cards would be available on the 27th - the wording used was quite clear.

http://nvidianews.nvidia.com/news/a-quantum-leap-in-gaming:-nvidia-introduces-geforce-gtx-1080

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 "Founders Edition" will be available on May 27 for $699. It will be available from ASUS, Colorful, EVGA, Gainward, Galaxy, Gigabyte, Innovision 3D, MSI, NVIDIA. Palit, PNY and Zotac. Custom boards from partners will vary by region and pricing is expected to start at $599.

 

[MrTeal]

This seems to be strange news. Does it mean we will see custom AIB cards or non-FE reference cards (is that even a thing?) or does this just mean that in addition to nVidia themselves, we'll be able to buy $699 FE cards from EVGA, MSI, etc?

 

[railven]

This seems to be strange news. Does it mean we will see custom AIB cards or non-FE reference cards (is that even a thing?) or does this just mean that in addition to nVidia themselves, we'll be able to buy $699 FE cards from EVGA, MSI, etc?

The bold was a given, since that's how I remember it being announced.

The Red is where I'm speculating we'll see "custom" cards sooner than most of us expected. What degree of "custom" will vary, but most likely just ref PCB with AIB's own coolers.

 

[LTC8K6]

If both are available on the same day, who would pay $100 more for the FE?

 

[MrTeal]

If both are available on the same day, who would pay $100 more for the FE?

People who appreciate craftsmanship.

 

[Markfw]

The author wanted this deleted, but we don't do that, however, I will lock it .