The highly anticipated Nvidia RTX 5090 and RTX 5080 are set to launch on January 30, sparking excitement among gaming enthusiasts. However, concerns about shortages are growing, as reports from retailers and manufacturers suggest limited initial stock. Eager buyers have already started camping outside stores in hopes of securing one of these coveted GPUs, despite their steep price tags of $1,999 for the RTX 5090 and $999 for the RTX 5080.
Manufacturer MSI, as reported by WCCFTech, has indicated that the new GPUs will face short supply issues due to the Lunar New Year celebrations. This holiday, also known as Chinese New Year, is expected to impact the first wave of GPU stock, with availability expected to improve throughout February and into the following months.
Nvidia GeForce RTX 5090 – Photos
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Retailers have also voiced concerns about the RTX 5090's availability, with Overclockers UK claiming they have received only "single digits at present." They mentioned having just a "few hundred" RTX 5080 GPUs available for the launch. U.S. retailer PowerGPU echoed these sentiments on Twitter, stating, "The launch of the RTX 5090 will be the worst when it comes to availability."
In response to the growing concerns, Nvidia representative Tim@Nvidia posted a statement on the company's official forum titled "GeForce RTX 50 Series Availability," which 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."
As fears of limited stock mount, scalpers are ready to capitalize on the situation. Listings for RTX 5090 GPUs are already appearing on eBay as "pre-sale." One notable example is an Asus ROG Astral RTX 5090 listed by a collectibles reseller for a staggering $5,750, marking an 187% increase over the original MSRP of the already pricey $1,999 card.
Amid the launch of its latest consumer GPUs, Nvidia faces another challenge. The company's share price tumbled by 16.86% on Monday after the emergence of the Chinese AI model DeepSeek, which claims to have been trained for just $6 million, potentially threatening Nvidia’s datacenter GPU sales.
