On January 30, Nvidia is set to launch its highly anticipated GeForce RTX 5090 and RTX 5080 graphics cards, priced at $1,999 and $999 respectively. The excitement surrounding these top-tier GPUs has resulted in substantial demand, with reported instances of eager consumers camping outside retail locations to secure their purchases. Nonetheless, Nvidia and manufacturing partners have raised concerns about potential stock shortages at launch.
According to several reports, including statements from the manufacturer MSI, initial shipments of the RTX 5090 and RTX 5080 will likely be constrained due to delays linked to the Lunar New Year holiday. MSI has indicated these delays could impact the supply chain throughout early February. Retailers have also mirrored this sentiment, with Overclockers UK disclosing they have only received single digits of the RTX 5090 and just several hundred units of the RTX 5080 for launch.
“We are expecting greater demand than the 40 series, but with the launch just prior to CNY and lots of other rumors circulating, initial waves of supply are poor and will probably take some time to build up,” said Gibbo, staff member at Overclockers UK.
The supply woes have prompted Nvidia to release statements acknowledging the potential for 'stock-outs.' Tim Adams, Nvidia’s head of GeForce community, noted on the company’s official forum, “We expect significant demand for the GeForce RTX 5090 and 5080 and believe stock-outs may happen. Nvidia and our partners are shipping more stock to retail every day to help get GPUs to gamers.”
Retailers including PowerGPU have characterized the expected launch as the most challenging concerning availability they have experienced. Already, listings for the RTX 5090 have surfaced on eBay with outrageous price tags. One seller is offering the Asus ROG Astral RTX 5090 for $5,750, amounting to a staggering 187% markup over its official MSRP.
The heightened demand for these GPUs has sparked concerns of significant scalping issues, reminiscent of the frantic price inflation seen during previous Nvidia launches, particularly during the cryptocurrency boom alongside the RTX 3000 series. Some retailers are taking proactive measures by limiting pre-orders to manage customer expectations realistically and avoid excessive waiting times.
“We’ll be trying to limit how many pre-orders we take. We will take some pre-orders but not thousands as we want to make sure customers have realistic expectations and aren’t waiting months,” emphasized Overclockers UK representatives.
Despite the stock challenges, both the RTX 5090 and RTX 5080 come packed with promising performance improvements. Reports from initial testing have suggested remarkable gains over previous models, particularly the RTX 4090. Reviewers have noted gains of 22-23% more frames per second (FPS), especially beneficial for gamers seeking 4K performance.
The arrival of features rooted in artificial intelligence, such as DLSS 4, looks set to redefine gaming experiences through higher frame rates and superb visual fidelity. Gamers have been eager to see how these features translate to real-world performance, even though it remains to be seen if they will justify waiting for availability amid such chaotic stock scenarios.
With Nvidia admitting the potential complications tied to stock availability, one can expect the market will be rife with opportunists ready to resell these coveted graphics cards at inflated prices. The events surrounding the launch of the new RTX cards have led to heightened excitement tempered with caution about what buying conditions will be like come the 30th.
Nvidia's next-gen graphics cards could mark another technological milestone, especially for gamers and professionals alike, but the buying experience is complicated by the scarcity of launch units and the anticipation of temperature-induced frenzy.
For those hoping to avoid camping out or competing against scalpers, it may be wise to wait for stock levels to stabilize hopefully by February as retailers refresh their inventories. Until then, for those eyeing the RTX series, monitoring sales channels and quick action upon release will be key strategies for purchasing success.