The Nvidia RTX 5090 and RTX 5080 are set to launch on January 30th, but reports from retailers and manufacturers suggest significant shortages are likely. Consumers are already lining up outside stores, anticipating high demand for these highly sought-after GPUs, despite their hefty price tags of $1,999 and $999 respectively.
Manufacturer MSI, as reported by WCCFTech, attributes the initial scarcity to the Lunar New Year, impacting the first wave of shipments. Stock is expected to improve throughout February and beyond. Retailers like Overclockers UK have reported receiving only a handful of RTX 5090 units, and similarly low numbers for the RTX 5080. PowerGPU in the US echoed these concerns, predicting extremely limited availability for the RTX 5090 launch.
In response to growing concerns, Nvidia representative Tim@Nvidia issued a statement on the company's forum acknowledging the anticipated high demand and the possibility of stock-outs. They assured customers that Nvidia and its partners are actively working to increase retail shipments.
Despite Nvidia's statement, scalpers are already capitalizing on the anticipated shortage. Pre-sale listings on eBay are showing inflated prices; one example features an Asus ROG Astral RTX 5090 listed for $5,750 – a staggering 187% markup over the MSRP.
Adding to Nvidia's challenges this week, their share price dropped significantly (16.86%) following the announcement of the Chinese AI model DeepSeek, which poses a potential threat to Nvidia's datacenter GPU sales.
Nvidia GeForce RTX 5090 – Photos
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