NVIDIA Founders Edition Early Adopters Tax Goes Away

I have a mail into NV about that now. I was expected to see those within 48 hours of launch.

Update:

This is an interesting change of events. Many of our readers have been a bit upset with how the "new" Founders Edition GTX 1080 cards were to be rolled out. Many readers saw this FE simply as a reference card with a new name that was being charged $100 extra for while AIB partner cards were making their way to market. It has been referred to as an "early adopters" tax more than once. That seems that it might now be the case now. I expected Founders Edition cards to be for sale within 48 hours of today's GTX 1080 launch, but that is not the case. NVIDIA has just informed me that Founders Edition cards will be available at the same time as AIB partner cards. The MSRP + $100 pricing still stands, it just seems now you will not have the option of getting the FE a week or two before AIB cards.

Yes, availability for 1080 for FE and partner cards is slated for May 27th.
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Am also curious about this. I don't want to buy the "founders edition" either - just a normal 'ol 1080.
 
I haven't seen any info when AIB cards will start shipping. Reasonable to expect some time in June, possibly late June.
 
The title is a bit misleading (not trying to say that it's on puropse), as I understood (from the title) that the Founders card is now 600$.

Unless I'm misunderstanding, the only change is the fact that AIBs will also sell cards @ 27th of May?
 
MavericK said:
So wait...you still have to pay $100 more, but now you don't even get the card earlier?
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Sounds about right. You pay $700 for a reference card from NVIDIA + AIB that is limited in quantity on release. Then you likely wait 1 or 2 months for AIB custom boards + coolers to be released in quantity. There might be some $600 cards on May 27th but I'll bet money that they are of the Galax variants w/lower tier cooling and possibly PCB vs the Founders/Reference Edition. Basically its still an early adopters tax, just delayed w/a few more choices.

If someone is sitting on an old 680/780 type of card, I can see them paying the extra $100 and making the jump. For everyone else, it's madness.
 
Heh, this title had me all a-tingle. But actually the tax remains, except you no longer get the card early!

Hopefully AIB cards actually start selling May 27, that would be the best of all possibly worlds. And not "Founders Editions" in an Asus/MSI/whatever-branded box.
 
So $700 for the FE and $600 for the AIB 'reference design' version, both with the leaf blower fan? And then AIB custom boards a month later?

Shit, I might pick up a AIB reference for $600 if that's the case.
 
My understanding is that the AIB reference cards (with the vapor blower, etc) are also branded "Founders Editions", built by nvidia, and thus must cost $699.

Since the NV quote said "Founders Editions and AIB cards", there's some hope that we'll see reference PCBs with AIB coolers on May 27. Sure hope so. Probably not with additional power connectors, though.
 
linkgoron said:
Unless I'm misunderstanding, the only change is the fact that AIBs will also sell cards @ 27th of May?
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If you can get those all on the same day, I guess there is no more early adopters tax eh?
 
I'm just gonna throw this out there-- can we call it a "Basic B Tax" now?
 
linkgoron said:
You shouldn't go all defensive, this wasn't an attack on you - I'm just trying to make sure I understand correctly. It also appears that I wasn't the only one who was mislead by the title (again - I already mentioned that I did not think that it was on purpose).

Either way, let's see what actually happens on day one including the actual prices.
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Didn't I just explain it to you? Wow, you even get your panties cinched up when you get exactly what you ask for. Should I have made the font pink?

Do you find this more soothing as I spoon feed you to you the information already on the page?
 
What was the situation with 900s? I don't remember any availability problems within the month after release. I certainly think there won't be any shortage by the time of 1070's arrival.
 
pclausen said:
So $700 for the FE and $600 for the AIB 'reference design' version, both with the leaf blower fan? And then AIB custom boards a month later?

Shit, I might pick up a AIB reference for $600 if that's the case.
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It's a matter of:




vs:




And whether the latter is worth an extra $50 - $100 to you. I still find it hard to believe AIB partners will be releasing any 1080's for $599. I think $629 - $649 is more likely.
 
As long as the damned things are actually AVAILABLE on and in the month or two after launch, I DGAF. If I get $700 to blow in my sweaty little palms, I wanna blow it now before I decide I'd rather have strippers and coke.
 
Thought these cards were supposed to be $400 PFF $600 sure as fuck is no $400. I saw this shit coming. lol
 
scgt1 said:
Thought these cards were supposed to be $400 PFF $600 sure as fuck is no $400. I saw this shit coming. lol
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479 for 1070 fe. 780 was about the same price as 1080 now and then got dethroned by 780ti because of amd's 290x. I'm curios if vega will cause the same story.
 
Teenyman45 said:
It's not so much a matter of "being done correctly" as shouldn't have been done at all. Had Nvidia just said the 1080 was $699 for a reference and been done with it. There would be a lot of well founded complaining about price gouging; just look at my comment history on the pricing of the AMD Radeon 7970. However, people would accept that as the starting price especially as the current average price for a 980ti is in the $550-$600 range. On the other hand, now people see there is no excuse for the extra $100 in pure profit being demanded by Nvidia and that really screws with the value perceptions of the card and the company.
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Let's wait and see how this effects their market share and margins before you start claiming this somehow screws NV. You need to remember people that post on tech forums are a vocal minority of VC buyers. You can't compare us to the market as a whole or our effect on the market.
 
Raendor said:
479 for 1070 fe. 780 was about the same price as 1080 now and then got dethroned by 780ti because of amd's 290x. I'm curios if vega will cause the same story.
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Well, we'll find out in 5 months at the earliest.
 
Teenyman45 said:
It's not so much a matter of "being done correctly" as shouldn't have been done at all. Had Nvidia just said the 1080 was $699 for a reference and been done with it. There would be a lot of well founded complaining about price gouging; just look at my comment history on the pricing of the AMD Radeon 7970. However, people would accept that as the starting price especially as the current average price for a 980ti is in the $550-$600 range. On the other hand, now people see there is no excuse for the extra $100 in pure profit being demanded by Nvidia and that really screws with the value perceptions of the card and the company.
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This would all go away if AMD handed over a product capable of competing. Couple that with the fact that there will be PLENTY of people who buy the FE editions and its hookers and blow for the execs.
 
athenian200 said:
Well, thanks for complaining, guys... now nobody gets it early. LOL.
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Was that the actual plan... Founders Edition on the 19th and AIB cards on the 27th? If that's the case and they got rid of the "early adopters tax" by not releasing the FE a week early... Then that's fucking HILARIOUS!
 
Opaque announcements leaving everyone asking wtf -> check
Confusing back-and-forth signals -> check
Everyone on every forum talking endlessly about nvidia's bizarre antics -> check
Generating free press and mindshare for weeks out of thin air -> check

When did Trump take over the NVIDIA Marketing Department?
 
doz said:
This would all go away if AMD handed over a product capable of competing. Couple that with the fact that there will be PLENTY of people who buy the FE editions and its hookers and blow for the execs.
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If "ifs" and "buts" were candy and nuts, we'd all have a merry Christmas.
 
athenian200 said:
Well, thanks for complaining, guys... now nobody gets it early. LOL.

Now the wealthy are forced to wait along with the poor, I guess? People get some kind of weird satisfaction out of that type of fairness.
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You think complaining is the reason NV did not roll them out a week early? Get real....... There was never an intention for an early roll out for a $100 premium. All speculation and NV has people believing that the reason is complaints now.
 
Teenyman45 said:
Being vocal and not buying launch day cards are the only actions that will have any impact.
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NVIDIA already knows there's too many people that can't resist the latest and greatest and they'll get their sales. So even if 98% of the gamer market is vocal and abstains, that 2% will cover the sales easily. That $100 is pure profit to line NVIDIA's pockets, nothing else. There was no extra effort done on their part to justify it.
 
Teenyman45 said:
I already understood you are not a fan of what Nvidia is doing. You have often called out when computer parts are overpriced.

I don't see any means of moving to a Founder's Edition structure that won't upset significant numbers of people. Even if the FE gpus were binned, that would be an implicit statement that the non-FE cards are reject chips or cause a lurking suspicion of purposefully gimped microcode; people never get tired of complaining about Intel's pricing and handling K chips or the H-EDT platforms. As another example, look at what Tesla is doing with the P70 vs/ P75 battery pack, pay an extra $2,500 or be denied 5KW of the battery already in your car.

Being vocal and not buying launch day cards are the only actions that will have any impact.
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Except the majority of the card will be sold out on day 1 since there are people out there with more money than sense so there will not be any impact.
 
Fixall said:
Was that the actual plan... Founders Edition on the 19th and AIB cards on the 27th? If that's the case and they got rid of the "early adopters tax" by not releasing the FE a week early... Then that's fucking HILARIOUS!
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See I thought the nvidia FE was coming out the 27th while we wouldn't see other brands until mid to late June. So.... aren't we then getting FE cards from let's say MSI, Evga, etc early? They pushed the other manufacturers early? Or am I wrong? I'm thinking I'm wrong right?
 
5150Joker said:
NVIDIA already knows there's too many people that can't resist the latest and greatest and they'll get their sales. So even if 98% of the gamer market is vocal and abstains, that 2% will cover the sales easily. That $100 is pure profit to line NVIDIA's pockets, nothing else. There was no extra effort done on their part to justify it.
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It changed my plans. Even with all my recent home and automotive expenses I was really leaning towards dumping my tri-fire to buy a pair of 1080s and full cover water blocks. Nvidia's actions put off my purchase till at least well after the Polaris and Vega reveals.
 
Maybe Martin Shkreli works for Nvidia now? Bwahahah. But seriously, they are the only game in town (sorry AMD, I like yah but come on, kick it up a notch) so they can charge whatever the heck they want. As stated, it's the obscure way they went about releasing the information that has caused confusion, and people being defense about the pricing change. Also, get off my [H] lawn?

All told, I will pick up a 1070, which should have been name like A70 or something. This release is exactly in line with how they have launched in the past, performance wise. Features though, sort of odd...some stuff no one cares about, and the natural progression of Boost. Guess everything is slowing down a tad. Hard to gauge the shrink though, I've seen people say it's just Maxwell on a different node. Not sure what to think about that yet.

Will also buy the hottest P10, as it is essentially going to be a 390X from everything I've heard, but hopefully a more gooder buy. It better be!
 
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