Nvidia’s latest GeForce RTX 5080 and 5090 graphics cards have vanished from retailers across the US, just hours after their release. The sudden scarcity has sparked debate about whether the launch was genuinely high-demand or a “paper launch” – implying Nvidia had little to sell in the first place.
In anticipation of strong demand, Nvidia’s head of GeForce community, Tim Adams, warned that the new GPUs might be hard to find before launch. His warning proved prophetic as both 50-series cards sold out on major online retailers like Amazon, Best Buy, and Newegg within minutes of going live.
PC hardware enthusiasts report that even large system integrators struggled to secure initial shipments, with some receiving only a handful of cards per day. Retailers now warn restocks may take months, while one user reported waiting until February 21st for an RTX 5090 at Best Buy.
The high demand for the 50-series GPUs can be attributed to the upcoming release of modern games that recommend these cards for ray-tracing. With most users still relying on older GPUs like the 3060, this launch presents a rare opportunity for graphics card enthusiasts to upgrade – if they can find them in stock.
Source: https://www.polygon.com/news/518422/nvidia-rtx-geforce-5080-5090-graphics-cards-sold-out