Nvidia GeForce RX 30 cardsNext generation game consoles have been getting all the headlines lately (Jon Scarr is keeping you on top of the rapid-fire developments on that front). However, PC gamers have also had their fair share of big developments. This fall kicked off with huge news for PC gaming when Nvidia held a launch event for its all-new GeForce RTX 30 series video cards, powered by Ampere (Nvidia’s second-generation RTX architecture). Suddenly PC gamers weren’t feeling like console owners are getting all the cool new toys.

Here’s what you need to know about the Nvidia RTX 30 series video cards. The first two in the RTX 30 series launched in September, and the RTX 3070 began pre-order starting October 29. The latest news is the pending arrival of a new addition to the original RTX 30 series, the RTX 3060.

A series of world firsts

Nvidia has stacked the GeForce RTX 30 cards with “firsts.” They are the first gaming-class graphics cards capable of supporting up to 24GB of GDDR6X VRAM. They’re the first video cards with HDMI 2.1 support for both 4K and single-cable 8K gaming. They’re the first with onboard support for the AV1 video codec. Nvidia Founder Edition models are the first gaming video cards with dual axial flow through cooling.

Nvidia GeForce RX 30 cards

RTX 3070, RTX 3080, RTX 3090 and now RTX 3060

There were originally three video cards being released as part of this series. That has now been expanded to four. 

The most affordable of the original release series was the GeForce RTX 3070 with 5,888 CUDA cores and 8GB of GDDR6 VRAM. Next up is the GeForce RTX 3080 with 8,704 CUDA cores and 10GB of GDDR6X VRAM. The ultimate option is the GeForce RTX 3090, with 10,496 CUDA cores and 24 GB of GDDR6X VRAM.

Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060The all-new release is the GeForce RTX 3060 (and 3060 Ti).

The GeForce RTX 3060 is aimed at mainstream gamers, with support for maximum effects and high frame rates at 1440p and 1080p. Those looking for an upgrade path from the GeForce GTX 1060 now have an affordable option. With 3,584 CUDA cores and 8G of DDR6 VRAM, the GeForce RTX 3060 offers double the raster performance and 10 times the ray tracing capability of the GeForce GTX 1060.

Quieter, more efficient, and more affordable

Ray tracing was a huge deal when the first generation RTX video cards were released, but it becomes a far more compelling feature with the new RTX 30 series. These cards employ the new Nvidia DLSS deep learning neural network with dedicated AI processors for ray tracing performance that’s up to double that of the first generation. The demos of real-time ray tracing being powered by these new cards was truly mind-blowing.

The RTX 3080 and RTX 3090 both use new GDDR6X VRAM, the world’s fastest graphics memory. The dual axial flow design of the Founder’s Edition cards improves cooling by 55%, which will reduce fan noise.

Despite all the advances in technology and huge performance gains, the new Nvidia cards are expected to be priced below their first generation counterparts.

A huge leap forward in gameplay + more

The new GeForce RTX 30 series video cards represent a huge leap forward in gameplay. No wonder with the amount of graphics horsepower in play. For example, the mid-range RTX 3080 features 8704 CUDA cores and a 1.71GHz boost for a total of 30 teraflops of performance. That’s mores than double the top specs of those next-gen game consoles. 

Nvidia GeForce RX 30 cards

You can see the difference the RTX 30 cards make to AAA titles like Doom Eternal in this comparison to previous generation cards supplied by Nvidia.

Nvidia GeForce RX 30 cards

It’s not just gameplay that gets a big boost. These cards support Nvidia Broadcast, with AI-enhanced video and voice output. Creative apps also run faster thanks to Nvidia Studio upgrades. 

Nvidia GeForce RX 30 cards

Enough with the torture, when can I get my hands on one of these new video cards?

The initial shipment of RTX 3080 and RTX 3090 cards was quickly snapped up. If you missed out, don’t despair, Nvidia is pumping out new video cards as quickly as it can. The company and its partners are churning out as many GeForce RTX 3060 cards as possible in advance of the launch. Multiple 3rd party vendors are also releasing cards based on the new architecture including MSI, EVGA, Zotac, and ASUS.

Here’s how to order the Nvidia RTX 30 series video cards at Best Buy

You can find all the RTX 30 Series Graphic Cards at BestBuy.ca including the the cards offered by Nvidia’s partner vendors. Check back for availability, including the launch of the new GeForce RTX 3060 video cards.

Demand has been extremely high so far for the new RTX 30 series, so be watching closely for when the RTX 3060 card pre-order link goes live. In the meantime, be sure to check Best Buy’s massive selection of PC games, accessories, and gaming PCs.

 

Brad Moon
Brad Moon
Editor Computing solutions
I’m a long-time electronics and gadget geek who’s been fortunate enough to enjoy a career that lets me indulge this interest. I have been writing about technology for several decades for a wide range of outlets including Wired, Gizmodo, Lifehacker, MSN, About.com, Kiplinger, and GeekDad. I’m in my 10th year as a senior contributor for Forbes with a focus on reviewing music-related tech, Apple gear, battery power stations and other consumer electronics. My day job is with the Malware Research Center at AI-native cybersecurity pioneer CrowdStrike.
Twitter Youtube

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR

123 COMMENTS

  1. They didn’t even give us a chance to buy the 3070 in Canada, also they only have 3 options, and 2 of the 3 are from Zotac… Guess I’ll have to wait 8 or 9 months for the cards to show up somewhere else.

  2. I am really hoping for a better launch with the 3070, is there any information from you guys on your end, I wish you guys gave us more information about this topic

    • Unfortunately, bestbuy.ca didn’t even post them as for sale. I was on at 6am, and adding to cart didn’t even show up as an option. Went to the American site, and it worked there, but I don’t want to pay over $100 for duties and taxes on top of the exchange rate.

  3. Update for anyone curious: I purchased an ASUS TUF 3080 on launch day within 75 seconds of go live and I was charged today and have a shipping tracking notice!

    • It definitely looks like Best Buy got a shipment of Asus RTX 3080 cards. There’s a few of us that got shipping notifications. Mine’s traveling from Montreal right now.

  4. With Nvidia decision to stop selling founders edition on their own website and going through Bestbuy only. Do you have any information if they will become available on BestBuy here in Canada in the future?

  5. Has anyone who’s order came up with an “Invalid” delivery date actually receive their order? Or at least receive a valid delivery date? I have contacted support every Thursday since my order and receive the same generic answer. Wait a week. I am just curious if Best Buy has even filled an order so far. Apparently if an order state stays “In Progress” past the expected delivery date, it is automatically canceled. I believe the reason we all have Invalid dates is so these orders stay active. That give me hope. I am just curious if anyone received their card and what card they received.

    • They offer the promotion on EVGA’s site if you purchased it from them. Perhaps the promotion missing on BestBuy’s product page was an oversight. I would contact Support to get clarification.

    • I talked to support today and they still have not heard from the manufacturer (In my case Asus) in regards to ETA on restock. Looks like stuff will likely just show up if it does show up. I still have no idea what happened to the idea of this being a pre-order?

      • Ultimately this a huge failure on BestBuy’s part. They “sold” stock they didn’t have and had no idea when they would have it. That’s why we are pretty much a month in with no cards, invalid dates on orders, and nobody talking about anything.

        Phone reps seem to give conflicting information, so obviously they are just making stuff up.

        This whole thing put a pretty awful taste in my mouth and will likely avoid best buy when possible from now on. I’ve had people walk into Canada Computers days after I ordered mine from here and they have it in their system already.

  8. I have an update from Nvidia regarding the RTX 3070 launch date. From the Nvidia press release:

    “Production of GeForce RTX 3070 graphics cards are ramping quickly. We’ve heard from many of you that there should be more cards available on launch day. To help make that happen, we are updating the availability date to Thursday, October 29th. We know this may be disappointing to those eager to purchase a GeForce RTX 3070 as soon as possible, however this shift will help our global partners get more graphics cards into the hands of gamers on launch day.”

    • Hi, is there an updates on 3080 orders? I purchased one on release date and haven’t gotten a shipment date yet.

    • Not that it matters much. I still “preordered” my 3080 within 5 seconds of them going live and still have an “invalid” ship date. Guess BB let all the bots buy them up too. Even if they released the 3070 on time, non scalpers would still have to wait weeks for their order to ship…

      • look at your order.. what time was it factually made it? I had the window open and purchased it at 6:00:05 and by the time the credit card went through the order was officially accepted (it is in your email) at: Order Date: 17 Sep 2020, 06:00:44

        Taking to bestbuy support they stated they are receiving shipments from suppliers weekly/daily and most “back orders” should ship in the next couple weeks, he specifically made it sound like mine would ship by mid Oct or be cancelled . this was last Friday (Oct 2).
        (Asus Tuf 3080)

        • I talked to support and I was told that they didn’t expect any new stock for at least a week or more. I hope what you heard was right. I also order the TUF 3080 OC and my order went through at 6:01:09, so I’m right behind you.

          • Seems like they must have gotten a bunch at once as mine also shipped yesterday.

            It does make me wonder…. is this the first shipment of TUF’s? Or were there actually people who ordered quicker than we did? Mine was 6:00:52 so my gut feeling is this may be the first… maybe 2nd shipment they got of TUF’s

  11. Absolutely ridiculous.

    Item’s in my cart within 2 seconds of launch and it’s sold out. Find a way to fight bots.

    • At least you were told no… last week I got order confirmation… still no shipping information.
      They sold ghost stock for the 3080’s.

  12. The lack of communication on this is super disappointing. I ordered my RTX 3080 5 seconds after they went live at 9am. I am still sitting with an invalid ship date, and best buy has given no indication when they expect them, or even if they have shipped any. Bad taste.

  13. I believe the main reason a lot of us are confused is because of the fact that this blog article stated that pre-orders were going to open on September 17th. For me there was no “Pre-Order” button as seen on other areas of your site. (For example: https://www.bestbuy.ca/en-ca/product/oculus-quest-2-64gb-vr-headset-with-touch-controllers/14924016 ) I had an “Add to Cart” button. Once I finished the order process, my order shows an “Invalid” shipping date. I contacted the Chat support to find out if my “Pre-Order” was successful. I was informed that my pre-order was indeed successful. The issue I have is that after reading some of these comments, I no longer believe I have a pre-order. A pre-order generally means that you are somewhat guaranteed an item of in-coming stock. Back-order suggests that you might get one on a first come, first serve basis if it does indeed restock. I really am quite unsure what I have at the moment. Some clarification on this matter would be greatly appreciated.

      • Hi Darren,

        We posted the information that was sent to our team. We have not received any updates on the status of product beyond what I have already posted here. I understand that this is not a great situation. The Best Buy team in charge of this product launch did not expect the delays in delivery either and are doing what they can to complete the orders asap.

        Best regards,
        Martin

        • Can you please keep us updated, maybe weekly, as to stocking?

          It has been over a month since release and most of us have no idea if we can ever expect anything from Best Buy, especially as we believed we were buying a stocked product, not a pre-order/back-ordered item. Regardless, we understand that there are delays, all completely out of your control, but could you please give us an idea what kind of delay some of us may expect?

          Did you sell 100 and only receive 5? or sold 10,000 and only received 5? other retailers have released this information, any chance you can?

          Sorry for being a pest,
          Your Customer(s)

    • Talked to Support and the item is definitely on back order, so there is no guarantee we will get one. I was told they are trying to procure more stock in 7 days. This is extremely disappointing. Especially after I was told my “Preorder was successful” by a previous support agent. This was not a pre-order at all.

  15. I was able to purchase one but it says shipped as early as the 28th. Why does it take so long for bestbuy to ship out the card?

    Thanks,

    • Be happy you even have a delivery date. My order just says “shipped as early as invalid date”. I was told my order is on back order and if they don’t get stock someone will reach out to me. I placed the order 30 seconds after going live on best buy’s site. It sure sucks going from super happy I got a card to the crushing feeling of Back order and now i’m starting to think I wont get a card at all…..

      • I just received the same email saying if they don’t get in stock in 7 days they will “reach me” via email. The funny thing is that I’ve placed this order a week without knowing this situation. I emailed them about the possible shipping day yesterday and got this info in return today… Being super excited for a week and now guessing my order might be canceled. Thanks, BestBuy.

    • Honestly, having one shipped on the 28th makes you one of the very lucky ones. Most of us will be waiting much much longer than that.

  16. Will ppl who purchased on the first launch get the Watchdog and membership offers? Cuz my order shows nothing about the special offer…

  18. Hi there, I was able to place an order but my credit card was charged immediately and i received an estimated ship date. Is this accurate or was this still a preorder? Thanks

    • Hi Hypeforce,

      We want customers to have the a great shopping experience everytime. We provided customers with as much information as we could but had very limited stock. The interest for this product is extremely high so with thousands of people trying to get very few items the result is most people did not get one on launch day. The teams are still working hard to bring in more so please keep trying. And if I get more information that will be helpful I will post it here.

      Best regards,
      Martin

      • Thanks Martin. I appreciate the open lines of communication, it helps make the best out of an obviously difficult situation.

      • I appreciate all you’re doing to make things right with your customers. Personally I was so traumatized I switched to Stadia.

  21. I was able to place an order for the ASUS TUF 10g RTX 3080! It says delivery by INVALID DATE however. Any idea when these might ship out?

    • Hi Vita,

      the process for pre-ordering is fairly straight forward. However, these video cards were in very short supply and we sold out within minutes of them going live this morning. Best Buy expects to have more stock trickle in and only when we learn the exact numbers coming in will we open up the pre-orders again. So keep watching on the site. If I get any information that can help customers I will add another comment here on the blog.

      best regards,
      Martin

      • Hi Martin,
        Thanks for replying to our concerns. For the release today, they were all pre orders or back orders? Just need a little bit of clarification on this
        Thank you

      • I guess we don’t have the same definition of pre-order.
        The me, pre-order mean: ” order (an item of merchandise) before it is available, with the understanding that it will be shipped later. ”

        So I understand that you have no more GPU in stock but I still want to pre-order one to be put in a waiting list. I don’t want to waste my time and come back here several times per days to check what you have in stock. Even if I do that I will have to be very lucky to see something in stock before someone else purchase it.

  25. Not a single 3080 series GPU was even available today at 9:00am EDT on Bestbuy.ca how disappointing. What happened, why is there no info out there on this? I refuse to believe that every 3080 variant was sold out instantly. Site when from saying coming soon to sold out when refreshed at 9:00am so did Bestbuy not get any stock whatsoever? When will we know when we actually can order these, there is no notification options on Bestbuy.ca

  26. I am looking to purchase a 3080 for my girlfriend and a 3090 for myself. Will I be able to do this or am I limited to one RTX card per person

  27. Hi everyone,

    I have added the date for the 3070 launch (Oct 15) above and the time that we expect the 3080 will go live on September 17th: 6 AM PDT/ 9AM EDT. As many of you are aware, this will be a very popular launch and supplies will be initially very low. Stock will initially be available online, and we expect it will sell out before any stock can be made available to stores.
    We do expect to get more inventory over time so if you aren’t successful on launch day, try again at a later date. We don’t have information for when new stock will arrive, but when it does we will make it available online and again, until demand lowers, these video cards will likely sell out before any stock is available to stores.

    Pricing will not be available until the product goes live.

    best regards,
    Martin

    • So I take this to understand that all cards sold by BB on the 17th will be in hand and ready to ship immediately? Or if this is a preorder what is a ballpark estimate of when people can expect to start receiving their cards?

      • Hi Kurt,

        As I stated before, we won’t know if the cards will be with us on the 17th but pre-order will be set up and ready for the stock that will be alotted to us even if the product has not arrived yet. When the product arrives from the vendor we will ship it out ASAP to people who were able to order one. I wish I could be more clear about timelines but this is the most accurate information we have been provided.

        Best regards,
        Martin

    • Hello Martin,

      Will you guys be limiting the quantity of card that can be sold to a single household? I would hate to lose out on it because of scalpers buying them all at once.

      Erick

  29. I have another question , are we also gonna know in advance in the Comments at what day and time it will be available for the 3070 as well ?

    Thanks !

    • Hi Mathieu,

      I hope so … I can only share the information that is sent to me but I’ve put in the request so hopefully the teams in charge of the launch will share that information soon.

      best regards,

  33. Do your comments apply to just Canada or to all Best Buy’s worldwide? I am in the US. I appreciate you posting this and trying to communicate. This launch is being handled by Nvidia in the most ridiculous manner I’ve ever seen. But I was in my local Best Buy today and asked them whether they would have physical stock or the 3080 or not and they had no idea. Not very encouraging. On the website so far on it the 3080 founders card and two gigabyte cards are visible. Why is Best Buy waiting this long to create the parts they will be available on launch day? And how is it possible that only 4 days before the parts are able to be ordered that Best Buy doesn’t know something as simple as what time the preorders will be available? It’s not a complicated question. As customers – we need to know this ASAP. It shouldn’t be a corporate debate. Just tell us the answer.

  34. Come on people, can you at least try to read Martin’s responses, which have answered many of the questions asked.

    – Best Buy Canada does not yet know when they will be receiving stock for these cards. If they receive it ‘on time’ (meaning before launch), they will sell the cards on launch date. If they do not receive them before launch date, you will still be able to pre-order the cards ON launch date (i.e. 3080 on Sep 17, 3090 on Sep 24, 3070 in mid-October)

    – As of Martin’s last update, they will be selling cards only from the following AIBs at launch: EVGA, MSI, Zotac, & Asus. They will not be carrying Founder’s Edition cards at launch, but it is still TBD if they will be selling them in the future. This is likely the case as well with any other AIB partners that haven’t been mentioned in the original post.

    – Pricing of the AIB cards are still TBD, which is to be expected since the manufacturer’s themselves have not announced any pricing details as of yet anywhere globally.

    – Exact timing of when you can preorder the cards online is still TBD. They have confirmed though that the first quantities of cards will be sold ONLINE ONLY and not in stores.

  35. How does Preorders work on Bestbuy.ca for expensive items ? Does it need a deposit or for the price to be charged immediately ?

    • Hi Zed and everyone asking about prices and stock,

      I don’t have that information yet about pricing and we are still awaiting confirmation on when stock will arrive; if stock arrives on time, then we will sell the product; if it doesn’t you will still be able to preorder on the dates shown above.

      Best regards,
      Martin

  37. Hi everyone,

    Here is an update from the team working on the launch of these video cards:

    “We will not be carrying the founders edition at launch. We will carry EVGA, MSI, Zotac, & Asus. Check back online on Sept 17th to pre-order (the exact time that it will go live has not been determined yet). The first quantities will go ONLINE ONLY as stock will be very limited”

    If I get more information I’ll be sure to add it here in another comment.

    Martin

    • There is a card up with a placeholder price of $10k (lol), is that actually live? The price is based on when it ships, so is this just how the signup works with the $10k meaning “obviously not this price”?

      Or just a mistake given it’s well before the listed dates?

    • “We will not be carrying the founders edition at launch.”

      Are you implying that you will eventually get it for sale, just not at launch or do you mean that you will never have it?

      Thanks!

      • Hi Bob, the team is still working on securing stock on all of the new offerings from Nvidia and at this time they can only confirm that the founders edition will not be coming to us at the same time as the other models. So, they just don’t know right now if we’ll get some at a later date or not. I’ll update this thread if I learn more.

        take care,
        Martin

  38. Hi everyone,

    These Nvidia cards are going to be very popular so I certainly understand your need for accurate and complete information. I sent your questions to the team working on this product launch and they will provide me with answers ASAP.

    best regards,
    Martin

  44. Can you confirm Best Buy Canada will be selling the Founder Edition and not just 3rd party vendors from the 17th?

  46. I want to use the best buy credit card to buy the 3090 on an installment plan.
    How can I do this? I understand installment plans are valid for in store PURCHASES. will I be able to PreOrder at the store? And can this be done on the installment with the best buy credit card?

  50. Here are the dates for pre-order at Best Buy Canada:

    RTX 3080 series, September 17
    RTX 3090 series, September 24
    RTX 3070 series, mid-October

    Does this mean BestBuy won’t have stock on the release dates but rather a pre order to secure one for delivery soon there after?

Newer Comments »

Comments are closed.