RTX 5090 reviews have been out for more than a day. While these GPUs are said to hit shelves on January 30, scalpers already promise pre-reserved slots (via VideoCardz) without any returns or refunds. It is no secret that the initial supply is constrained at launch, but are you willing to splurge up to $7,000 to be among the first few owners?
The RTX 5090 is around 25% faster than its predecessor, the RTX 4090, in games while carrying a similar price premium, provided you get one at MSRP. With just one week left before launch, OCUK, a large UK retailer, reportedly holds less than 10 RTX 5090s in inventory. Preliminary overseas listings allege a 40% markup versus MSRP if you can purchase one since supply is expected to be very tight.
Scalpers at eBay are charging much higher than MSRP for various RTX 5090 models. If you want a confirmed slot, you could join the dark side and pay a hefty premium. However, be warned that most of these scalpers explicitly disclaim any warranty coverage for these GPUs. One listing, priced at $4,000, reads, “I am an employee of a certain technology retailer and have guaranteed slots for a few of these GPUs. I have no interest in upgrading my current build and am looking to sell my guarantee slot for the card.” Attached are a few listings from eBay to illustrate the current market condition for the RTX 5090:
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Scalpers typically set up bots to snap up listings for an in-demand product, creating artificial scarcity and profiting by selling at inflated prices. We don’t know when Nvidia’s supply will improve over time. With a large 32GB frame buffer, the RTX 5090 is highly sought-after in the AI market, which may have contributed to this situation.
Still, we suggest you avoid falling prey to scalpers, wait for prices to normalize, and then purchase. If upgrading after a long time, consider alternatives from AMD or maybe hit the used market. While we cannot comment on how the mid-ranged RTX 5070 series will fare in terms of supply, keep an eye out for AMD’s RDNA 4 GPUs, which are rumored to arrive in the latter half of March.
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