The highly anticipated Nvidia RTX 5090 and RTX 5080 are set to launch on January 30th, but reports from retailers and manufacturers suggest significant shortages are likely. With consumers already lining up, the cards are expected to be incredibly popular despite their hefty price tags of $1,999 and $999 respectively.
MSI, a major manufacturer, attributes the initial scarcity to the Lunar New Year, anticipating stock levels to improve in February. Several retailers, including Overclockers UK and PowerGPU, have echoed these concerns, highlighting extremely limited initial allocations of the RTX 5090.
Nvidia GeForce RTX 5090 – Images
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Addressing these concerns, Nvidia representative Tim@Nvidia issued a statement acknowledging the anticipated high demand and potential for stock-outs. The company assures consumers that it and its partners are actively working to increase retail availability.
However, the limited supply is already fueling scalping activities. Pre-sale listings on eBay are showing inflated prices, with one Asus ROG Astral RTX 5090 listed for a staggering $5,750 – a massive markup of 187%.
Adding to Nvidia's challenges, the company's stock price experienced a significant drop following the announcement of a new Chinese AI model, DeepSeek, which reportedly achieved comparable results at a fraction of the cost, potentially impacting Nvidia's datacenter GPU sales. This adds another layer of complexity to Nvidia's current situation.