The first AMD Radeon RX 6700 partner model has leaked after PowerColor reportedly sent the wrong press image of the Radeon RX 6700 Fighter card.

The graphics card should follow shortly after the Radeon RX 6700 XT, which launched earlier this month, and will likely challenge the Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 in performance.

PowerColor's package (via TechPowerUp) lists the GPU's video memory at 6GB of GDDR6, which is half of the RX 6700 XT's 12GB, but comparable to the Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti. The Radeon RX 6700's memory bus, which also determines the operating speed of the video RAM, matches the 192-bit figure set by the RX 6700 XT.

However, the excitement over the RX 6700's impending release must be tempered by the reminder that graphics card inventory, especially of new models, remains frustratingly scarce.

The PowerColor Radeon RX 6700 Fighter box also suggests that this GPU will target 1440p games, so the RTX 3060 Ti, RTX 3060, RTX 3070, and RX 6700 XT can all handle this resolution. The problem is that most likely these cards are already out of stock and have been so for some time.

The main underlying problem seems to be a lack of supply due to production delays, but there are other factors exacerbating this shortage for the average PC gamer. So-called resellers are using bot scripts to buy up graphics cards as soon as they are restocked and sell them at high prices on second-hand sites.

Another influence is the growing interest in digital currency mining. Gaming GPUs are so effective at mining currencies like Bitcoin and Ethereum that well-funded miners are buying up new cards to build multi-GPU rigs, though Nvidia's response was to add a mining speed limiter to the RTX 3060, embarrassingly defeated by the company's own beta driver.

The Radeon RX 6700 is priced lower than the RX 6700 XT, arguably further increasing the risk of mass purchase by profit seekers. We have heard nothing about a possible announcement or release date. However, when the RX 6700 is released, the best hope of obtaining it may lie with retailers who are regulating who can put money down; Newegg already has a lottery system in place for products in demand. In the UK, Currys has also launched a similar lottery for the PS5.

This type of system does not guarantee that you will get what you want, but it is much fairer to first-come, first-served retailers that bots can exploit.