Where have all the RTX 5090s gone? High-end GPU stock vanishing from US retailers
The availability of flagship graphics cards is becoming a major concern for enthusiasts. High-end NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 units are reportedly vanishing from the stock of most major US online retailers, leaving consumers to face massive markups from third-party sellers.
Resellers driving prices to extreme levels
While the MSRP for an RTX 5090 is set at $1,999 (or £1,939 in the UK), the actual market reality for consumers is much harsher. Recent price tracking shows that availability at major retailers like Amazon and Best Buy has dried up. What remains are listings from third-party resellers with staggering price tags. For instance, a Gigabyte Windforce RTX 5090 that was listed for $5,700 on Newegg recently appeared through a reseller for a staggering $9,050. Currently, the cheapest new option available through resellers is the Asus TUF, priced at $6,800.
The drivers behind the shortage
Several factors are contributing to this supply imbalance, shifting the focus away from the gaming market:
- AI Industry Demand: There is growing speculation that AI firms are purchasing high-end consumer cards to outfit server-grade PCs instead of investing in dedicated datacenter accelerators or professional RTX Pro 6000 GPUs. This comes amid reports of massive NVIDIA hardware deployments for training advanced models like GPT-6 Astra.
- Production Shifts: It is possible that NVIDIA is prioritizing its 4nm Blackwell (GB20x) chip supply for professional workstation products rather than gaming GPUs, effectively reducing the volume available for the consumer market.
With NVIDIA maintaining a dominant 90% market share, the current trend suggests that unless supply chains shift back toward gaming, the era of buying an RTX 5090 at MSRP may be a thing of the past for most users.
Гика
