There may be some relief on the horizon for PC gamers, with a new rumor Nvidia will once again release the RTX 3060 GPU. Graphics cards, SSDs, and other components have seen prices rise rapidly recently as RAM becomes more difficult and expensive for both consumers and manufacturers. Now, if leaks are to be believed, Nvidia, one of the biggest players in the PC gaming space, could soften the blow by re-introducing a more affordable option.
It hasn't been easy for gamers to get their hands on new high-end hardware lately. As the global RAM shortage sent shockwaves throughout the PC parts supply chain, some vendors were listing RTX 5090 GPUs for $3,000 and up, with all signs pointing to even more increases on the way. Nvidia has yet to officially comment on the matter, but there are plenty of rumors about what's going on behind the scenes. One of the latest may offer an unexpected glimmer of hope in an otherwise challenging time for PC makers.
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The leaker claims that Nvidia will re-release the RTX 3060 in early 2026
On January 5th, PC hardware leaker hongxing2020 released a brief but promising claim that Nvidia will bring back the RTX 3060 in Q1 2026. Nvidia stopped making the RTX 3060 GPU at the end of 2024, roughly three years after the line was released. The card was very popular both before and after it was discontinued, and while it may not deliver the performance of the newer 40 and 50 series GPUs, its price, which starts around $330, is a welcome change for many in the sea of sky-high prices of newer hardware. That affordability and its use of older, less AI-influenced memory would make a re-release make sense, though there's no official confirmation and hongxing2020 didn't provide any further details.
Despite the lack of specifics, hongxing2020's statements carry some weight given the provider's history of accurate claims. In the past, they correctly revealed the Nvidia RTX 5050 to be released in July 2025. They also predicted a delay for the 50 Super GPU series, which seems likely in light of how Nvidia has confirmed that it won't be showing off any new GPUs at CES 2026. A relaunch, despite rising RAM prices, could also help the company maintain good sales of the 3060, especially amid rumors that Nvidia will cut production of the 50-series GPUs to offset costs.
If Nvidia resurrects the 3060, the GPU won't be completely immune to rising RAM costs, as it still needs the memory that's been in short supply. However, it uses DDR6 rather than the more expensive DDR7, and notably uses much less RAM than Nvidia's newer series of graphics cards. According to Steam's latest hardware survey, the RTX 3060 8GB is the most popular GPU today, and that 8GB is a far cry from the 50 series, which can use up to 32GB of VRAM. Even if the re-released 3060 came with a higher price tag than in 2021, those lower specs would mean it would still be much cheaper to produce than the 50 or 40 series alternatives.
The move would make sense beyond catering to price-conscious consumers. The rising cost of RAM is also impacting companies like Nvidia, with Samsung reportedly doubling the amount it charges manufacturers for DDR5 as it reserves more of its memory for AI use. Pivoting to lower-spec GPUs could lower Nvidia's own costs and help it weather the storm. Of course, the 3060's return is just a rumor for now, so gamers will have to wait and see how things develop.
- Date of establishment
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April 1, 1993
- Headquarters
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Santa Clara, California, United States of America
- CEO
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Jensen Huang
- Subsidiaries
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Mellanox Technologies, Cumulus Networks, NVIDIA Advanced Rendering Center
