Nvidia Warns of RTX 5090/5080 Shortages

The highly anticipated Nvidia RTX 5090 and RTX 5080 graphics cards are set to launch on January 30th, but concerns about immediate shortages are swirling. Reports from retailers and manufacturers alike suggest limited initial availability. With prospective buyers already lining up outside stores, these cards are expected to be incredibly popular despite their hefty price tags: $1,999 for the RTX 5090 and $999 for the RTX 5080.

Manufacturer MSI, citing the Lunar New Year (Chinese New Year), has indicated that the initial shipment of GPUs will be significantly impacted, with stock levels expected to improve throughout February and beyond. This sentiment is echoed by several retailers. Overclockers UK, for example, reports receiving only a handful of RTX 5090 cards, and limited stock of the RTX 5080. PowerGPU in the US has even predicted the RTX 5090 launch will be among the worst in terms of availability.

To address these concerns, Nvidia representative Tim@Nvidia issued a statement on the company’s official forum, acknowledging the anticipated high demand and the possibility of stock-outs. Nvidia assures consumers that they and their partners are actively working to increase retail stock daily.

Despite Nvidia's statement, the potential for shortages has already attracted scalpers. Pre-sale listings on eBay are already showing inflated prices. One listing shows an Asus ROG Astral RTX 5090 priced at a staggering $5,750—a markup of 187% over the MSRP.

Adding another layer of complexity to Nvidia's immediate priorities, the company’s share price experienced a significant 16.86% drop on Monday following the announcement of the Chinese AI model DeepSeek. DeepSeek's relatively low training cost raises questions about the future demand for Nvidia's high-end datacenter GPUs.

Nvidia GeForce RTX 5090 – Photos

5 Images