It seems as though the graphics card market is about to become a battleground in early 2022 as the likes of Nvidia, AMD and newcomers Intel scramble to get their upcoming products in the public conscience soon after the holidays. Despite the ongoing semiconductor shortages, and GPU prices almost double the price in places like Europe, the big tech companies are still keen to unleash a whole range of new hardware for consumers to choose between. With that, it seems as though the recently-discussed RTX 3050 may have a definite launch date.

According to a report, which cites a tweet from a leaker, Nvidia may be looking to launch the 3050 non-Ti, which will have 8 GB of RAM, on 27 January 2022. The source doesn't go into any further details, such as MSRP, but simply says that the graphics card will be "on-shelf" by this date, which hints that it will be physically available to purchase at that point. The report says that, although new to the "leak scene," the Twitter user who goes by the handle @hongxing2020, has so far been able to release confidential details on products, which have supposedly been confirmed by other sources.

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The Nvidia RTX 3050 was already due for an early 2022 release, but at the time, there was no specific date mentioned. Launching on 27 January makes sense from the company's perspective, as this puts it on a head on collision with competitive products due for release around the same time, such as Intel's upcoming "Alchemist" GPU. However, it should be pointed out that the leaked date has not been confirmed, and even if the rumor is based on reliable information, it's best to take it with a pinch of salt until Nvidia itself officially confirms or denies these speculations.

The RTX 3050 will represent an entry level graphics card, which may be a breath of fresh air among a string of high-end products that are either too expensive, or too difficult to get hold of without paying even more. Nvidia is also bringing back the RTX 2060, a card which was originally launched in 2019, though this rebrand will have 12 GB of RAM instead of 6 GB. Similarly, this will be a lower end piece of kit, so won't go up against the likes of the 3090, but will give PC gamers some cheaper options.

At the other end of the spectrum, Nvidia is also rumored to be prepping the RTX 3090 Ti, a slightly souped up version of its most powerful GPU. On top of that, it's possible the company may be getting ready to move into the next era of graphics card technology, with its rumored 4000 series potentially coming mid-2022. If all these pan out, it suggests that Nvidia is very keen to drown out the likes of Intel and long-time rival AMD.

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Source: Videocardz