NVIDIA silently unveiled its much-anticipated RTX 4060 Ti 16GB graphics card on Tuesday, opting for a subdued launch devoid of the usual fanfare. While major graphics card releases often make headlines and generate excitement among tech enthusiasts, the upgraded 16GB variant of the RTX 4060 Ti slipped into the market with barely a whisper. The peculiar launch was accompanied by Nvidia’s emphasis on the Portal: Prelude RTX game, adding to the mystique surrounding the new GPU.

The latest offering from NVIDIA marks the fulfillment of their earlier promise to deliver a 16GB version of the RTX 4060 Ti, which originally debuted with 8GB VRAM in June. However, despite its technical release, eager consumers looking to purchase the improved variant will find themselves out of luck.

Although Best Buy and Newegg listings are now live, there are merely five models listed, and unsurprisingly, all of them are already out of stock. Gigabyte and MSI have each introduced two models, while Zotac has one. Unfortunately, there is little indication that additional units will be available anytime soon. Asus has announced a single model priced at $600, but it appears that most board partners are hesitant to invest heavily in the new GPU.

The primary deterrent for board partners and consumers alike seems to be the price tag. The RTX 4060 Ti 16GB comes with a $500 price point, which is $100 higher than the 8GB model. This hefty premium solely accounts for the additional 8GB of VRAM, while the number of CUDA cores and the memory bus remain unchanged. Essentially, it’s the same graphics card but with a notable bump in VRAM and a corresponding price increase.

The question naturally arises as to whether the price hike is justified, and early reports suggest that it may not be. Certain games push the RTX 4060 Ti to its VRAM limits, resulting in performance inferior even to the previous-generation RTX 3060 Ti. In such instances, the 16GB variant would undoubtedly shine, but overall, the raw performance of the card had already left much to be desired.

Considering the lukewarm response to the base model, it comes as no surprise that the limited availability of the 16GB RTX 4060 Ti was anticipated. Rumors suggesting a more significant interest in the upgraded version were likely misplaced. At $500, the GPU is perilously close in price to the superior RTX 4070, which boasts approximately 30% better performance.

The midrange gaming market has been somewhat starved for options between the $300 to $500 range. NVIDIA’s controversial RTX 4060 Ti duo has raised eyebrows, while AMD’s RX 7600 failed to impress despite its budget-friendly price. Even NVIDIA’s $300 RTX 4060, though a reasonable value, seemed to focus more on showcasing the company’s Deep Learning Super Sampling 3 (DLSS) technology than being a compelling budget GPU.

The shortage of VRAM in midrange GPUs has been a prominent concern in 2023, exacerbated by the demands of modern games like Resident Evil 4 and The Last of Us Part One. The 16GB VRAM in the RTX 4060 Ti aims to address this issue, but its exorbitant $500 price tag dampens the appeal considerably. To accurately gauge its worth, thorough testing is required, but based on current knowledge, the GPU seems like one to avoid.

Furthermore, the scarcity of 16GB RTX 4060 Ti models indicates that it might not make much of a difference, as limited supply is unlikely to meet consumer demand in the first place.