Pascal Founder’s Edition Cards Are Not a Limited Run

During the initial reveal of NVIDIA’s latest enthusiast graphics line-up, there was some confusion regarding the Founder’s Edition cards which come with a significant price premium compared to aftermarket models from board partners. After some research, it became clear that the Founder’s Edition cards are another term for reference models which raised questions about their overclocking ability. In theory, you’d imagine the higher cost stems from chip binning and NVIDIA’s decision to save chips with loads of overclocking headroom to the Founder’s Editions. After a press briefing today, NVIDIA clarified a few common confusions regarding the more expensive models.

Firstly, they are not cherry picked models and it’s quite likely that custom cards from the likes of EVGA, MSI, Gigabyte, Inno3D and more will be able to leverage extra performance due to improved cooling hardware. According to NVIDIA, the card is designed to appeal to those who love the aesthetic and require an ultra silent product. Not only that, NVIDIA plans to offer the GTX 1080 and GTX 1070 through vendors, and via their official store. Even though hefty overclock cards might be cheaper over time, NVIDIA isn’t going to discount the price and will keep the items in stock throughout the product’s lifespan. This is an interesting business strategy and the company believes many people will pay extra to enjoy the premium feel and new vapor chamber design.