Nvidia Reintroduces Five-Year-Old RTX 3060 12GB GPU at $339 Amid Shortages
Nvidia has brought back its five-year-old RTX 3060 12GB graphics card to retailers like Newegg at $329–$339, following CEO Jensen Huang’s CES 2026 comment that reviving older GPUs is a “good idea” to address RTX 50-series shortages. New production batches (e.g., Gigabyte Rev2.0) have appeared. The move is driven by Nvidia prioritizing high-margin datacenter AI chips over entry-level consumer GPUs. The card lacks full DLSS 4.5 support and is outperformed by newer models, but offers 12GB VRAM for budget gamers and local AI tasks.
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Palit Officially Announces RTX 3060 Infinity 2 OC Relaunch Amid AI-Driven GPU Shortage
Palit has officially announced the relaunch of its RTX 3060 Infinity 2 OC graphics card, marking the first official confirmation of Nvidia's Ampere architecture return. The card is identical to the 2021 original, featuring 3,584 CUDA cores and 12GB of GDDR6 VRAM on a 192-bit bus, with a slight overclock to 1,792 MHz. The relaunch is driven by AI industry demand causing memory and component shortages, making older generation GPUs with ample VRAM attractive stopgaps. Palit also plans a non-OC variant. While the card is expected to retail around $329, the article advises consumers to consider newer RTX 50-series cards like the RTX 5060 Ti ($369) for better performance and features, despite their lower VRAM. The reboot leverages Samsung's older 8nm process for better yields compared to TSMC's expensive N5 node.
Latest from Tom's HardwarePalit Officially Announces RTX 3060 Infinity 2 OC Relaunch Amid AI-Driven GPU Shortage
Palit has officially announced the RTX 3060 Infinity 2 OC, marking the first formal confirmation of Nvidia's reboot of its five-year-old Ampere-based GPU. The card is identical to the 2021 original, featuring 3,584 CUDA cores and 12GB of GDDR6 VRAM on a 192-bit bus, with a slight overclock to 1,792 MHz boost. The relaunch is driven by AI industry demand for memory, which has caused GPU price hikes and component scarcity. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang hinted at reviving older cards after a suggestion at CES 2026. The card is expected to retail around $329, matching the original price. While the 12GB VRAM is a selling point, the article advises consumers to consider newer RTX 50-series cards like the RTX 5060 Ti ($369) for better performance and DLSS 4.5 support, despite having only 8GB VRAM. The reboot leverages Samsung's older 8nm process for better yields compared to TSMC's expensive N5 node.
Latest from Tom's HardwarePalit Officially Announces RTX 3060 Infinity 2 OC as Nvidia Reboots 2021 GPU for AI Era
Nvidia has relaunched its five-year-old GeForce RTX 3060 graphics card to address component scarcity driven by the AI boom. Palit has officially announced its RTX 3060 Infinity 2 OC variant, the first official indication of Ampere's return. The card retains the original specs: 3,584 CUDA cores, 12GB of GDDR6 VRAM on a 192-bit bus, and a boost clock up to 1,792 MHz. Its main selling point is the 12GB memory pool, which is valuable during a memory crisis where GDDR7 and HBM production is prioritized for AI. The card is expected to cost around $329, matching the original launch price. However, the article advises consumers to consider newer RTX 50-series cards like the RTX 5060 Ti ($369) for better performance and DLSS 4.5 support, despite their lower VRAM. The reboot makes sense for manufacturers due to better yields on Samsung's older 8nm process.
Latest from Tom's HardwareMSI RTX 3060 12GB Graphics Card Returns to Stock at Newegg for $329.99
Tom's Hardware reports that the MSI GeForce RTX 3060 Ventus 2X 12GB OC graphics card is back in stock at Newegg for $329.99 with free shipping. The card, which was largely unavailable for years and previously carried near-$400 price tags, features 12 GB of VRAM—a significant advantage over 8 GB cards for modern gaming and local AI model execution. The dual-fan variant has a 1087 MHz boost clock, a steel backplate for heat dissipation, and outputs including three DisplayPort and one HDMI 2.1. The article notes the card is capable at 1080p, competent at 1440p, and playable at 4K with settings adjustments, aided by Nvidia's DLSS upscaling. The return of affordable, high-VRAM cards is framed as a positive amid AI-driven shortages.
Latest from Tom's HardwareMSI RTX 3060 Ventus 2X 12GB OC Back in Stock at Newegg for $329.99
Tom's Hardware reports that the MSI GeForce RTX 3060 Ventus 2X 12GB OC graphics card is back in stock at Newegg for $329.99 with free shipping. The card had been largely unavailable for years, and when spotted, often carried near-$400 price tags. The 12 GB of VRAM is highlighted as a key advantage for modern gaming at 1080p and 1440p, as well as for running local AI models and large language models. The dual-fan variant features a steel backplate for heat dissipation and noise reduction, along with three DisplayPort outputs and HDMI 2.1. The article notes that AI-driven shortages have made affordable GPUs scarce, making this restock a positive development for budget-conscious gamers and AI enthusiasts.
Latest from Tom's HardwareMSI RTX 3060 Ventus 2X 12GB OC Restocked at Newegg for $329.99
Tom's Hardware reports that the MSI GeForce RTX 3060 Ventus 2X 12 GB OC graphics card is back in stock at Newegg for $329.99 with free shipping, a price well below recent near-$400 listings. The card features 12 GB of VRAM, which is advantageous for modern gaming at 1080p and 1440p, and enables local AI model execution. It includes a dual-fan design, steel backplate for cooling, and outputs including three DisplayPort and one HDMI 2.1. The article notes the card's frugal power consumption and compatibility with Nvidia DLSS 4.5 upscaling. The deal is framed as timely given AI-driven GPU shortages, making it a viable option for budget-conscious gamers and AI enthusiasts looking to run local LLMs.
Latest from Tom's HardwareNvidia RTX 3060 12GB Returns to Retail Five Years After Launch at $339, Reviving CEO's 'Good Idea'
Nvidia's five-year-old RTX 3060 12GB graphics card has returned to e-tailers like Newegg at $339.99, just $10 above its original MSRP. The reappearance follows CEO Jensen Huang's CES 2026 statement that reintroducing older GPUs from trailing-edge nodes is a 'good idea' to address pricing and availability issues with the RTX 50-series. A Gigabyte Windforce Rev2.0 card has been spotted, indicating a new production batch. The card, manufactured on Samsung 8nm, costs only slightly less than the far superior RTX 5060, which supports the latest DLSS 4.5 upscaling. The reintroduction may stem from Nvidia prioritizing datacenter AI GPU production over entry-level consumer GPUs. The RTX 3060 lacks FP8 acceleration for full DLSS 4.5 and cannot run DLSS Frame Generation, making it a poor value compared to newer alternatives.
Latest from Tom's HardwareLegacy RTX 3060 12GB Returns to Retail Five Years After Launch, Priced at $339
Nvidia's RTX 3060 12GB graphics card, originally launched in early 2021, has reappeared on retail shelves at $339.99, just $10 above its original MSRP. This follows CEO Jensen Huang's suggestion at CES 2026 that reintroducing older GPUs made on trailing process nodes could alleviate pricing and availability issues for RTX 50-series cards. A Gigabyte Windforce Rev2.0 model is available at Newegg, and an Asus Dual card has been spotted in Europe. The article notes that the RTX 3060 is only slightly cheaper than the far superior RTX 5060 and is outpaced even by the entry-level RTX 5050. The resurgence is attributed to Nvidia prioritizing datacenter production of AI chips over consumer GPUs, leaving gamers with fewer sub-$350 options. The old card lacks support for the latest DLSS 4.5 upscaling and frame generation, limiting its competitive value.
Latest from Tom's HardwareNvidia brings back 5-year-old RTX 3060 12GB at $339, citing GPU shortage and data center priority
Nvidia has reintroduced the GeForce RTX 3060 12GB graphics card, originally launched in early 2021, to retail shelves at $339. This move follows CEO Jensen Huang's statement at CES 2026 that reviving older GPUs from trailing-edge nodes was a 'good idea' to address pricing and availability issues for entry-level gamers. Cards from Gigabyte (Rev2.0) and Asus have been spotted at Newegg and in Europe. While the RTX 3060 offers 12GB of VRAM, it is outperformed by the newer RTX 5060 and even the RTX 5050, and lacks full support for the latest DLSS 4.5 technologies. The article suggests the reintroduction is driven by Nvidia prioritizing high-margin data center AI chips (Rubin GPUs) over low-margin consumer Blackwell GPUs, leaving older Ampere-based cards as one of the few sub-$350 options for budget-conscious PC gamers.
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