News that Nvidia was ending production of the RTX 2060 arrived earlier this month via Chinese media outlets. ITHome has backed up these reports, adding that the GTX 1660 is also being killed off. The RTX 2060 line covers three cards: the standard 6GB version from 2019, the RTX 2060 12GB released in 2020, and the RTX 2060 Super. The original card sits behind the GTX 1060 as the second-most-popular GPU among Steam users. Despite its age, the RTX 2060 also saw the second-highest number of new Steam users in October, too. The GTX 1660 line, meanwhile, also includes the GTX 1660 Super and the GTX 1660 Ti. It’s another budget card in the top ten most-popular and top ten best-performing Steam charts from October.
The most popular graphics cards among Steam survey participants in October Ending production makes sense for Nvidia. The company is trying to reduce its inventory of RTX 3060 cards—a GPU that will likely overtake the RTX 2060 on the Steam survey at some point—and is hoping to push buyers toward the RTX 4060 once that arrives next year. Despite the end of production, it’ll be a long time before these cards fade out of existence. The RTX 2060, which is still a solid performer, sells for an average of just $167 on eBay, while the GTX 1660 goes for around $107. The RTX 3060, while admittedly more powerful, usually costs more than its $330 MSRP when bought new, and its used price averages about $275. The global economic downturn has seen demand for expensive tech items crash, from smartphones to PC components. Even the powerful RTX 4080 has failed to sell as well as expected. The situation has made older, budget cards a more appealing prospect. Conservative consumer spending could be good news for AMD, whose upcoming RX 7900 XTX ($999) and 7900 XT ($899) will likely be compelling buys for those looking to upgrade to new flagships without paying Nvidia’s prices.
