GPU Market May 2026: Memory Shortage, Rising Prices, and Why the RX 9050 Is Gaming's Only Hope

The 2026 GPU market is suffering from AI-driven memory shortages. RTX 50 Super canceled, AMD RX 9050 may be the only new consumer GPU this year. What to buy right now.

Author: Редакция MBG •

Shortage and Rising Prices

The GPU market faces serious pressure in 2026. AMD and NVIDIA are prioritizing data center deliveries, which consume almost all GDDR7 and GDDR6 manufacturing capacity. Per analysts, memory costs have risen several hundred percent in months, now accounting for over 80% of a GPU's bill of materials. This directly impacts retail prices.

RTX 50 Super — Canceled

Per PCWorld and other sources, NVIDIA has canceled or shelved RTX 50 Super variants. The company is focused on fantastically profitable data center segments.

AMD RX 9050: The Market's Only Hope for 2026

The rumored AMD Radeon RX 9050 with 8 GB VRAM may be the only new consumer GPU of 2026. No official announcement yet, but it's the only card the market expects in this segment.

What to Buy Now

The AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT remains the best value option. Independent tests show it performs near RTX 5070 Ti levels for significantly less money — confirmed by XDA-Developers and other reviewers. For 4K gaming without compromise, RTX 5080 remains the benchmark.