The Nvidia GeForce RTX 5090 graphics card is becoming a rare find at retailers across the globe, as a new report claims that consumers are competing directly with AI companies that are buying GPUs by the pallet. The Nvidia RTX 5090 is the flagship card of the company’s Blackwell lineup of GPUs that first hit the market in early 2025.
As the most powerful gaming GPU on the market today, the RTX 5090 comes with 32GB of GDDR7 video memory and boosted clock speeds up to 2,407 MHz. Although the RTX 5090 is more than capable of playing games with demanding graphics at a resolution of 4K, it is also capable of running intense workstation loads. However, the ongoing DRAM shortage crisis has affected the price of RAM kits and graphics cards particularly hard, with prices skyrocketing by the day.
The RTX 5090 is Being Scooped Up for AI Data Center Usage
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Since the RTX 5090 can handle workstation tasks, gamers looking to get their hands on Nvidia’s flagship card now face stiff competition. According to a report from Hong Kong-based media outlet HKEPC, supplies of the RTX 5090 are being purchased in bulk by vendors in China. These vendors then assemble them into AI-based workstations before selling them to various companies. Though the US government has banned the sale of the RTX 5090 to China, that has not stopped vendors and companies from continuing to scoop up the sought-after GPUs to ship to AI data centers and continue the cycle of high RAM and GPU prices.
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Though the RTX 5090 had an MSRP of $1,999 at launch, the price has since tripled to over $6,000 as of this writing. The RTX 5090 is currently available from third-party sellers on Amazon and Newegg, as purchasing an RTX 5090 directly from the aforementioned retailers is currently unavailable. The lowest price of the RTX 5090 listed by third-party sellers is $6,699, a 235% markup from the original $1,999 MSRP before taxes and fees are considered. By comparison, the RTX 5080 is available directly from Amazon for $1,599, which is just under a quarter of the price of the RTX 5090. As Nvidia GPU prices continue to spike due to the DRAM shortage crisis, gamers looking to upgrade their PCs with new components will pay a steep price.
However, gamers can save some money by purchasing older graphics cards instead. Earlier in 2026, Nvidia relaunched the GeForce RTX 3060, one of the most popular graphics cards across the globe. The RTX 3060 features 12GB of GDDR6 video memory, making it a sufficient GPU for playing PC games at 1080p. Although new waves of the RTX 3060 were initially priced at $339, the price has since increased to $450 or higher at various retailers. However, promotional offers can bring down the price of the RTX 3060, so interested buyers should keep an eye out for any discounts.
As of this writing, Nvidia has not officially commented on the scarcity of RTX 5090 GPUs within the consumer market. Given that Nvidia has near-complete control of the gaming GPU market, it remains to be seen what the tech giant has planned for its next generation of graphics cards.
Source: PCGamesN
