RTX 5090 and RTX 5080 launch supply to be quite limited: AIB RTX 5090 stock could be on same level as RTX 3090
The debut RTX 50 “Blackwell” series GPUs, the RTX 5090 and the RTX 5080, are set to appear on store shelves on January 30 at a starting price of $1,999 and $999, respectively. However, the RTX 5090 and the RTX 5080 may be harder to buy if rumors regarding the RTX 50 launch supply are to be believed. For instance, a rumor from PCGH forums alleges that, at launch, stock of the RTX 5090 and the RTX 5080 will be limited in Germany.
Buyers in North America might also not have an easy time buying the RTX 5090/RTX 5080, as the RTX 5090 and RTX 5080 supply leak from Moore’s Law Is Dead presents some pretty troubling information.
However, before we move on to discuss the leak, it is important to treat these rumors as unconfirmed reports from anonymous sources. As such, take them with a giant grain of salt.
RTX 5090 and RTX 5080 launch supply
One North American distributor source told MLID that the distributor will get no RTX 5090 supply at launch and only around 20 RTX 5080 GPUs, markedly less than the “couple of hundred RTX 4080s” that the distributor alleged got in 2022. Furthermore, the source also expects no RTX 5090 supply “until late Q1 or Q2”.
The situation looks equally bad for AIBs, as one AIB source confirmed to Tom that they will get “the same amount of RTX 5090s for launch as we had RTX 3090s” and RTX 5080 supply which is a “fraction of what we received for the RTX 4080 launch two years ago”. The RTX 3090 had a pretty limited launch and the GPU was hard to get on release day. So, the RTX 5090 having a launch supply that is equal to less or than the RTX 3090 from AIBs is not an encouraging sign.
Interestingly, things may not only be tough for the average gamer, as an Nvidia source also claimed that the company’s internal Employee Store won’t be getting many RTX 5090 Founders Edition cards. It was reportedly easier for Nvidia employees to snag an RTX 4080 FE at launch “from the same internal store”.
Finally, an AIB based in the EU alleged that, while the “RTX 5090 looks like it will be very rare”, the RTX 5080’s initial launch supply should be fine.
All in all, it looks like enthusiasts who are eyeing the RTX 5090 and/or the RTX 5080 might have to do some intense product hunting. For what it’s worth, we hope the RTX 50 launch goes much better than the RTX 30 and the RTX 40 series, and gamers are not forced to pay scalper prices to get their hands on the GPUs.
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