The launch of NVIDIA’s new GeForce RTX 50 series GPUs has been interesting to say the least. And we’re not just talking about the flagship GeForce RTX 5090 and its 32GB of GDDR7 VRAM. The performance uplift offered by the new RTX 5090 and RTX 5080, disregarging new technologies like multi-frame gen, left some enthusiats disappointed, and availability of the cards has been scarce. The limitied availability in particular has resulted in skyrocketing prices on both the retail and 3rd party markets.
To wit, both ASUS and MSI GeForce RTX 50 series GPUs are experiencing some higher pricing due to this lack of availability, and not just by marketplace sellers—both companies raised prices in their own webstores on some models.
As baseline points of reference, NVIDIA had listed the MSRP of its new lineup at $999 for the GeForce RTX 5080 and $1,999 for the GeForce RTX 5090. But some custom ASUS and MSI GeForce RTX 5090s are retailing for a staggering amount—well over $3,000. While we understand some enthusiast models typically get a price bump, it is almost impossible to find the 5090 at MSRP, even when it is listed out of stock.
Launch day pricing seemed cheaper for many GPUs on the surface, with many now more expensive just a short while later. ASUS increase the price of its halo GPU, the RTX 5090 ROG Astral LC from its original $3,099 to a new high of $3,409 within this short time span.
The upwards move of ASUS and MSI GPUs, along with other brands, is likely here to stay — at least for the foreseeable future. It’s not clear when stock of GeForce RTX 50 Series GPUs will improve. With the current focus on AI, NVIDIA has more incentive to focus its efforts on the much more profitable data center market.
As noticed by Videocardsz, MSI’s cheapest model is the RTX 5080 Ventus at $1,139, which does not match the $999 MSRP it was originally set at. Likewise, ASUS raised the prices of some of its SKUs in its own webstore following the launch and immediate sell-out of cards. Time will tell what the GeForce RTX 5070 and GeForce RTX 5070 Ti will be like in terms of real world pricing, when they launch in the coming weeks.