The highly anticipated launch of Nvidia's RTX 5090 and RTX 5080 graphics cards is set for January 30, sparking excitement among tech enthusiasts. However, concerns about potential shortages are casting a shadow over the excitement, with reports from retailers and manufacturers indicating limited stock availability at launch. Eager buyers have already started camping outside stores to secure one of these highly sought-after GPUs, despite their steep price points of $1,999 for the RTX 5090 and $999 for the RTX 5080.
MSI, a prominent GPU manufacturer, has attributed the anticipated short supply to the Lunar New Year celebrations, also known as Chinese New Year, according to WCCFTech. This holiday is expected to impact the initial wave of GPU stock, with supplies expected to stabilize starting in February.
Nvidia GeForce RTX 5090 – Photos
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Retailers such as Overclockers UK have reported receiving only "single digits at present" of the RTX 5090, and a mere "few hundred" RTX 5080 GPUs for the launch day. This concern was echoed by U.S. retailer PowerGPU on Twitter, stating, "The launch of the RTX 5090 will be the worst when it comes to availability."
In response to growing concerns about stock availability, Nvidia's representative, Tim@Nvidia, issued a statement titled "GeForce RTX 50 Series Availability" on the company's official forum. The statement reads, "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 into the hands of gamers."
Amid fears of stock shortages, scalpers are already taking advantage of the situation, with RTX 5090 GPUs appearing on eBay as "pre-sale" items. Notably, an Asus ROG Astral RTX 5090 is listed by a collectibles reseller for a staggering $5,750, marking an 187% increase over the card's original $1,999 MSRP.
Adding to Nvidia's challenges, the company's stock price experienced a significant drop of 16.86% on Monday, following the announcement of the Chinese AI model DeepSeek. This model, reportedly trained for just $6 million, poses a potential threat to Nvidia's datacenter GPU sales, further complicating the company's situation as it launches its latest consumer GPUs.
