Nvidia Warns PC Gamers of RTX 5090 and 5080 Stock Shortages Before Release

The much-anticipated launch of Nvidia's RTX 5090 and RTX 5080 is set for January 30, but concerns about shortages are already making waves. Both high-end GPUs, priced at $1,999 and $999 respectively, are generating unprecedented excitement, with enthusiasts even camping outside stores to secure one of these coveted cards.

Reports from manufacturers and retailers, including MSI via WCCFTech, suggest that the supply will be constrained, especially around the Lunar New Year, also known as Chinese New Year. This could impact the initial availability of the GPUs, although stock is expected to stabilize in February and beyond.

Nvidia GeForce RTX 5090 – Photos

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Retailers like Overclockers UK have reported receiving only "single digits" of the RTX 5090, while they had a "few hundred" RTX 5080 GPUs available for launch. U.S. retailer PowerGPU echoed these concerns, tweeting that the RTX 5090 launch might face the worst availability yet.

In response to growing concerns, Nvidia's representative, Tim@Nvidia, issued a statement titled "GeForce RTX 50 Series Availability" on the company's official forum, stating:

"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 these supply challenges, scalpers are already taking advantage, with pre-sale listings for the RTX 5090 appearing on eBay. One listing from a collectibles reseller offers an Asus ROG Astral RTX 5090 for a staggering $5,750, marking a 187% increase over the card's $1,999 MSRP.

Adding to Nvidia's challenges, the company's share price dropped by 16.86% on Monday due to the emergence of the Chinese AI model DeepSeek, which claims to have been trained for just $6 million. This development threatens Nvidia's prospects in the datacenter GPU market, complicating their focus as they launch their latest consumer GPUs.