A much cheaper RTX 4060 GPU may be close to launch if this leaked image is true
New images for the Nvidia RTX 4060 Founders Edition graphics card may have been leaked online, which, if real, could be great news for gamers.
Two sets of images were part of the leaks released by Twitter user Elysian Realm and reported on by KitGuru (opens in new tab). One was for a possible RTX 4070 Ti Founders Edition, and the other for a possible RTX 4060 Founders Edition. The former doesn’t seem to hold much water (opens in new tab) as only the PCB is really visible, and it’s covered in thermal paste, obscuring the model name.
However, the RTX 4060 images (opens in new tab) could be pay dirt, as the body is far more visible and easier to analyze. From what we can see, the build looks more plasticky, including the white trim lining across the card and the black trim at the top where the connector is. We can also see that the fan build is very similar (opens in new tab) to the RTX 4090, 4080, 3090, and 3080 graphics cards, based on its opposite fan design.
Could this spell a truly budget graphics card option?
Considering the fact that this possible RTX 4060 is mainly a plastic build lends far more credibility to the leaked image. After all, who would actually leak such a basic card instead of some gorgeous metal work of art? And it being made of plastic makes perfect sense, as it would keep costs down (compare simply pouring a mold versus having to machine cut metal), thereby making it a viable budget card.
If these leaked images are real, then this could be excellent news for consumers. It’s no secret that the crypto craze made getting a hold of graphics cards from the RTX 3000-series nearly impossible for most buyers. And the current RTX 4000-series offerings are high-end quality cards that come with a hefty price tag and most gamers wouldn’t even take advantage of, since only a small percentage of them actually game in 4K resolution.
But if Nvidia was to actually drop a Founders Edition at a significantly cheaper price than its other offerings (think around the $350 price range) and supported 1080p HD gaming, then you have a card that most gamers could buy and use with their current setup. That’s especially since many have 2000-, 1600- or even 1000-series cards they’ve been itching to upgrade for years now.
This could also mean that Nvidia would instantly take the wind from AMD’s sails. If Team Green releases this as a higher-end budget card before Team Red can drop its own 7700- and 7600-series cards, then the latter would find themselves with a much smaller market when it releases its cheaper RDNA 3 cards.