Rumor mill: If there's one thing that signals the upcoming release of a new generation of Nvidia graphics cards, it's Team Green ending production of its current-gen models. According to new reports, that's exactly what's happened with the majority of RTX 4000 GPUs. Only the AD107, which powers the RTX 4060 desktop and laptop cards and the mobile-only RTX 4050, is still being made.
It seems almost certain that Nvidia will unveil the RTX 5000 series of Blackwell gaming cards at CES at the start of January. In addition to the slew of rumors, CEO Jensen Huang is delivering the opening keynote, marking the first time he has appeared at the event since 2019.
According to a report on Board Channels (via Videocardz), Nvidia is now reallocating its production lines to focus on producing the RTX 5000 series. The company is said to have completely shut down the AD106 production line, the GPU used for the RTX 4060 AD106 variant, 4060 Ti, and 4070.
The closure means that AD102, 103, 104, and 106 production has now ended, leaving only the 107 line active. A look at the latest Steam survey shows that the RTX 4060 laptop GPU is the second-most-popular card among participants behind the RTX 3060. The desktop RTX 4060 ranks third, while the RTX 4050 is in twentieth place.
"The RTX 40 series has entered its final quarter of clearance, with mid-to-high-end RTX 40 GPUs gradually halting production and supply," states the Board Channels post.
It was reported in September that Nvidia was planning to end production of the AD102 chip, which is used in the RTX 4090 and RTX 4090D. These are the only Lovelace cards that are showing signs of low inventory right now.
Nvidia is expecting to launch the RTX 5090 and RTX 5080 first, likely making them available at CES as soon as they're announced. With Nvidia ending production of almost all the current RTX 4000 cards, we might see the RTX 5070, 5060, and the others a lot sooner than expected. There are even rumors that Nvidia might break tradition by launching the RTX 5070 alongside the two top-end cards.