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

The highly anticipated launch of Nvidia's RTX 5090 and RTX 5080 graphics cards is set for January 30, but concerns about potential shortages are already making waves. With eager buyers camping outside stores to secure one of these coveted GPUs, the RTX 5090 and RTX 5080, priced at $1,999 and $999 respectively, are expected to be among the most sought-after graphics cards to hit the market.

Manufacturer MSI, as reported by WCCFTech, has indicated that the initial supply of these new GPUs may be limited due to the Lunar New Year, or Chinese New Year. This holiday is likely to impact the availability of the first wave of GPUs, with stock expected to improve throughout February and beyond.

Nvidia GeForce RTX 5090 – Photos

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Retailers have echoed these concerns about limited supply, particularly for the RTX 5090. Overclockers UK claimed it has only received "single digits at present," and last week reported having only a "few hundred" RTX 5080 GPUs for the launch. This sentiment was echoed by U.S. retailer PowerGPU, which tweeted: “The launch of the RTX 5090 will be the worst when it comes to availability.”

In an effort to address these concerns, Nvidia's representative, Tim@Nvidia, posted a statement on the company’s official forum titled “GeForce RTX 50 Series Availability.” The statement 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.”

Amid rising fears of limited stock, scalpers are already capitalizing on the situation, with several RTX 5090 GPUs listed for pre-sale on eBay. One such listing showcases an Asus ROG Astral RTX 5090 available from a collectibles reseller for a staggering $5,750, a 187% markup over the original $1,999 MSRP.

Adding to Nvidia's challenges, the company's share price tumbled by 16.86% on Monday following the announcement of the Chinese AI model DeepSeek, which was reportedly trained for just $6 million. This development poses a potential threat to Nvidia's datacenter GPU sales prospects, even as the company prepares to launch its latest consumer GPUs.