Nvidia RTX 3060 comeback in 2026 could alleviate soaring GPU prices and memory shortages — rumored RTX 5050 9GB abruptly shelved amid speculation

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A potential relaunch could target value-focused gamers.

GeForce RTX 3060
(Image credit: Tom's Hardware)

The Nvidia RTX 3060 graphics card is reportedly making a comeback. According to hardware leaker MEGAsizeGPU, the company is planning to bring back its two-generation-old budget GPU, with a potential relaunch in June 2026. Additionally, Nvidia has put a temporary halt on its recently rumored plans to launch a 9GB VRAM version of its newer entry-level RTX 5050.

The 12GB memory buffer should continue to work in its favor, particularly compared to newer entry-level GPUs that continue to ship with just 8GB. That said, Nvidia’s Ampere-based GPU won't benefit from newer technologies such as DLSS frame generation, improved ray tracing performance, and the latest AI and video encoding enhancements.

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During our original review, we found the RTX 3060 to be a solid 1080p graphics card with just enough juice to handle certain 1440p games. While its VRAM stood out as a key advantage over competing 8GB cards, the overall performance didn’t substantially outperform the previous generation.

One reason Nvidia might bring this GPU back is the lower cost of GDDR6 VRAM compared to the GDDR7 used in the RTX 50 series. With the ongoing surge in memory prices, it makes sense for the company to prioritize faster memory for its current and future graphics card models.

Likewise, the RTX 3060 was built using Samsung’s 8nm process, which should be in lower demand and easier to manufacture than the newer TSMC 4N 5nm process used by Nvidia’s RTX 40 (Ada Lovelace) and RTX 50 (Blackwell) series. With no concrete confirmation from Nvidia itself, it’s important to note that these details remain speculative.

With the right pricing, maybe around $200, the RTX 3060 could still make a lot of sense for gamers on a tight budget. Currently, the RTX 3060 12GB is readily available for $350-$400 on Amazon and as low as $150- $200 on second-hand marketplaces like eBay.

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Kunal Khullar
Kunal Khullar
News Contributor

Kunal Khullar is a contributing writer at Tom’s Hardware.  He is a long time technology journalist and reviewer specializing in PC components and peripherals, and welcomes any and every question around building a PC.

14 Comments Comment from the forums
  • Pierce2623
    Bringing back the 3060 12GB is targeting bargain local inference more than gaming. The 5060 8GB will beat the 3060 12GB in any game even pushing it over the VRAM limit.
    Reply
  • pclaughton
    lol, you think Nvidia would do anything to bring prices down?!
    Reply
  • usertests
    pclaughton said:
    lol, you think Nvidia would do anything to bring prices down?!
    If they aren't producing enough Blackwell gaming cards on TSMC 4N to satisfy demand, then they are leaving money on the table. Making more of the RTX 3060 12GB on Samsung 8nm could be an easy fix, as long as they have the GDDR6 for it.
    Reply
  • Shiznizzle
    Pierce2623 said:
    Bringing back the 3060 12GB is targeting bargain local inference more than gaming. The 5060 8GB will beat the 3060 12GB in any game even pushing it over the VRAM limit.
    I think its the other way around. They are targeting gamers. The 3060 12 gb is still a very capable card in times when not many can afford anything at all.

    But i also think the message of the article is this. If you cant afford a 5060 which of course will beat a 3060 then you can get the 3060 for far less and still game at decent resolutions and FPS. If i was on 1080p i would seriously have to think hard about paying for an over priced 5060 that has only 8gb and the 3060 12gb, which i actually own on my backup machine. The 3060 is still a good card and was still at the top of steam list only 3 months ago or so. 1080p is still at the top as well.

    Nvidia can try to price gauge on the 3060 but then this will backfire as this is a 2 generation old card. People are not going to pay the kind of money this card cost when it was released. The price will have to come down as others beat it hands down and are most likely even cheaper.
    Reply
  • adamboy64
    Super interesting.
    Wonder how much of an upgrade it is over the GTX 1660.

    .. regardless, interested to see what price point it ends up at.
    Reply
  • hotaru251
    maybe around $200,

    lul if you think this thing will be discounted below 250 & even then
    Shiznizzle said:
    then you can get the 3060 for far less
    even ignoring nvidia's own greed...no storefront is going to sell em cheap. They still sell 30 series for over 300$.
    Reply
  • usertests
    It's an arguably superior sidegrade to the RTX 5050 and is selling for around $250 used on ebay (above the RTX 3060 Ti 8GB). Nvidia does not have to settle for $200.

    If the RTX 5050 9GB materializes, that would be better. The extra 1 GB (+12.5%) and slight bandwidth increase will make a difference.
    Reply
  • Notton
    adamboy64 said:
    Super interesting.
    Wonder how much of an upgrade it is over the GTX 1660.

    .. regardless, interested to see what price point it ends up at.
    You don't have to wonder, it's not a new card, and you can look up the old reviews.
    example:
    https://www.techpowerup.com/review/msi-geforce-rtx-3060-gaming-x-trio/29.html
    As for pricing, 3060 used to go on sale for around US$265~275 during black friday, etc.
    Reply
  • JohnyFin
    Let mi comment this:🤣🤣🤣🤣. I have no words what is happening now on the World ..
    Reply
  • adamboy64
    Notton said:
    You don't have to wonder, it's not a new card, and you can look up the old reviews.
    example:
    https://www.techpowerup.com/review/msi-geforce-rtx-3060-gaming-x-trio/29.html
    As for pricing, 3060 used to go on sale for around US$265~275 during black friday, etc.
    Oh yeah. That's true. Thank you. I should just look up reviews and benchmarks with that and the 1660.
    Thanks for the details on pricing too. Should probably just put the money away toward a new PC someday.
    Reply