The Nvidia RTX 5090 and RTX 5080 launch is just around the corner, with both high-end GPUs due to be released on January 30. However, several reports from retailers and brands alike have stoked fears of shortages of both cards ahead of their release date.
With hopeful buyers already camping outside stores to get one of the coveted GPUs, Nvidia’s RTX 5090 and RTX 5080 are poised to be two of the most coveted graphics cards ever released, despite their $1,999 and $999 pricetags.
Manufacturer MSI (via WCCFTech) said the new GPUs will be in short supply due to the Lunar New Year, also known as Chinese New Year. This will affect the first wave of GPUs, with stock expected to stabilize throughout February and beyond.
Several retailers have also spoken out regarding the supply of the RTX 5090 specifically, with Overclockers UK claiming it has only received “single digits at present.” Last week it said it only had a “few hundred” RTX 5080 GPUs for launch. This stock difficulty was corroborated by U.S. retailer PowerGPU, which tweeted: “The launch of the RTX 5090 will be the worst when it comes to availability.”
To quell the fears circulating online, Nvidia representative Tim@Nvidia posted a statement titled “GeForce RTX 50 Series Availability” on the company’s official forum. It 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.”
With fears of limited stock rising, scalpers are poised to cash-in, with several listings for RTX 5090 GPUs already on eBay as “pre-sale.” One such listing showcases an Asus ROG Astral RTX 5090 as being available to order from a collectibles reseller for an eye-watering $5,750, an 187% increase over the original MSRP for the already expensive $1,999 card.
Nvidia may have a different kind of stock to prioritize this week, even amid the new launch of its latest consumer GPUs. The company’s share price tumbled by 16.86% on Monday following the emergence of Chinese AI model DeepSeek, whose claims of being trained for just $6 million puts Nvidia’s datacenter GPU sales prospects at risk.
Sayem is a freelancer based in the UK, covering tech & hardware. You can get in touch with him at @sayem.zone on Bluesky.
