A line in the latest GeForce driver patch notes (via Sweclockers) confirms that the rumored new card will land in mid-May and feature Nvidia's hash rate limiting technology. The driver updates the GeForce RTX 3060 12GB hash limiter and is required for products shipping in mid-May. For more information, see the NVIDIA blog: link

In case you've been avoiding the ongoing nightmare that is the graphics card market, demand for the latest GPUs is now at a frustratingly high rate, and not just among gamers. In addition to the resurgence of cryptocurrency mining, ongoing supply issues due to the pandemic have resulted in new graphics cards selling out within seconds of their release. [Nvidia's two solutions to this problem are to first release CMP cards made specifically for cryptocurrency mining and at the same time limit the mining capabilities of the cards for gamers. However, the first card with a hash rate limiter, the GeForce RTX 3060, was ruined when Nvidia itself accidentally released a developer driver that allowed miners to bypass the limiter. [The new PCI device ID suggests that some cards will incorporate that new limiter, and that it will be all newly minted GeForce GPUs, not just new cards released in the future.

That one line in the patch notes for the WHQL Game Ready 466.27 driver seems to confirm these rumors and also gives attention to the mid-May timeframe. The driver also supports Metro Exodus PC Enhanced Edition, Resident Evil Village, and Mass Effect Legendary Edition.

Hopefully, Nvidia will still be affected by the industry-wide supply problems, but this also means an influx of new graphics cards. At the very least, these new cards should not be so attractive to crypto miners. Expectations.