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Jacob Roach / Digital Trends
Nvidia is launching its RTX 5090 and RTX 5080 graphics cards today — read our RTX 5090 review and RTX 5080 review — and the anticipation is clear. In Japan, multiple stores held a lottery to give attendees an equal chance at scoring one of Nvidia’s best graphics cards, but the event ended in chaos, with screaming and the destruction of a sign at a kindergarten, according to VideoCardz.
The report of chaos came via X, where a user shared that “angry shouts were heard” as customers began lining up, and that “some people even climbed over the fence of the kindergarten next door.”
パソコン工房パーツ館でRTX5090の抽選の呼びかけが始まりましたが、現場は大混乱しております。
怒号が飛び交い、あろうことか隣の幼稚園の柵に登る人まで出る始末。#RTX5090 pic.twitter.com/BIPOLdXays
— 立山登 (@sarasteam0151) January 30, 2025
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There’s a lot of anticipation around any big graphics card launch, but the release of Nvidia’s RTX 50-series GPUs has hit a fever pitch. On Monday, days before the release date of Nvidia’s latest GPUs, customers began camping out at Micro Center locations across the U.S. In Westmont, IL, one user claims that nearly 60 people were in line as of 6pm PT Wednesday, and there was a police presence. Another user says more than 50 people were waiting outside of a Micro Center in Kansas, which reportedly only had four RTX 5090 models available.
Westmont microcenter
byu/yoyosh12 innvidia
We’ve rounded up a list of locations where you can buy the RTX 5090 today, including listings for all major online retailers. You might struggle to get one, though. Most retailers reportedly only have single-digit stock of the RTX 5090, and on eBay, listings as expensive as $6,100 have already sold.
As if that weren’t enough, the prices of Nvidia’s new GPUs are quite high. Nvidia set the list price of the RTX 5090 at $2,000 and the RTX 5080 at $1,000, but board partner models are significantly more expensive. Early listings for the RTX 5080 showed multiple models listed at $1,300 directly from Best Buy.
Unfortunately, prices aren’t likely to drop soon. Nvidia has slowly phased out its last-gen options like the RTX 4090 and RTX 4080 Super, and you’ll struggle to find either of those cards anywhere near list price. In the previous generation, we never saw Nvidia’s flagships fall below list price, even months after they were released and inventory stabilized. We may see a repeat of that situation here.
If you’re among the unlucky many who aren’t able to score an RTX 5090 or RTX 5080 today, make sure to check out our roundup of RTX 5080 alternatives that you can pick up now.
Jacob Roach is the lead reporter for PC hardware at Digital Trends. In addition to covering the latest PC components, from…
Scalpers may have a field day with the RTX 5090 this week
Nvidia’s upcoming GeForce RTX 5090 is expected to face limited availability from board partners, potentially leading to frustration for gamers eager to secure the flagship GPU. As per reports, the scarcity stems from Nvidia’s tight pricing margins on the RTX 50-series, which have reportedly made it increasingly difficult for board partners to profit from custom GPU designs.
According to VideoCardz, Nvidia’s approach to maintaining aggressive profit margins is placing significant financial strain on its manufacturing partners. One anonymous board partner even described the MSRP pricing structure as feeling “like charity,” highlighting how little room there is for profitability despite the premium retail cost of Nvidia’s flagship GPUs. This strategy, while beneficial for Nvidia’s bottom line, is creating a challenging environment for partners producing custom RTX 50-series cards.
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Nvidia made some stark claims with the announcement of its RTX 50-series GPUs. It promised double the performance with the best graphics card Nvidia has ever released, the RTX 5090, and it said outright that the more modest RTX 5070 could equal the performance of the last-generation king, the RTX 4090. That seems dubious, even with the hype surrounding the new hardware.
We can't officially confirm or deny such claims until the embargo lifts on reviews for these new cards, but for now, let's consider how the RTX 5070 lines up with the 4090, to give us an idea about what to expect.
Pricing and availability
The Nvidia RTX 4090 debuted in October 2022 with an at-the-time eye-watering price tag of $1,600. It's remained at around that level ever since, with some shortages spiking the price over $2,000 at times, depending on the version. As of late January 2025, however, the card is sold out almost everywhere, with only overpriced versions around $2,500 still available new, and second-hand versions selling for around $1,600.
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AMD might’ve already lost the war with the RX 9070 XT
It looks like I may have played myself again. I was genuinely excited about AMD's RX 9070 XT, but now, I'm starting to worry about its future. I always knew that the new AMD flagship wouldn't be able to compete against some of Nvidia's best graphics cards, but I had a lot of hope that it'd still be a great competitor for a number of other reasons.
I'm not doubting the performance of the RX 9070 XT. I have no reason to, as we don't know a thing about it -- and that's exactly why I'm worried. Not only are the GPUs still a complete mystery, but they've also reportedly been delayed. At this rate, I fear that AMD may have lost the war before it even started, and I'm not alone.
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