- MSI says there will be a limited supply of the RTX 5090 at launch
- This shortage reportedly stems from miscommunication with Nvidia
- Scalpers may have the upper hand at launch due to limited availability
Nvidia‘s RTX 5090 is about to launch at multiple retailers on January 30 and considering the power it packs for providing the best gaming performance across the board, many PC gamers are keen to get hold of one – but unfortunately, that might not be easy.
As reported by Wccftech, MSI claims that the supply of the RTX 5090 will be limited at launch, suggesting a chip shortage on Nvidia’s part. While this is only one of Team Green’s third-party partners, it certainly doesn’t spell good news for other partners and those attempting to purchase Founders Edition GPUs.
Considering the history of scalping surrounding the previous generation’s RTX 4090, I’m worried it might turn out to be much worse this time around – with an MSRP of $1,999 / £1,939 / AU$4,039 (along with the combination of a limited supply), we could be seeing a far more dire situation. It’s also worth noting that most partner cards will be more expensive than Nvidia’s Founders Edition, so this may give scalpers an opportunity to go overboard with pricing if demand is suitably high.
According to IT Home (translated from Chinese), the projected short supply at launch stems from miscommunication between Nvidia and partners, plus the ‘Spring Festival’ (Chinese New Year) affecting factory opening times. Whilst it’s not the end of the world for those intent on purchasing the flagship GPU, it does indeed point towards a potential long (and expensive) wait if scalpers are quick to strike.
So, how do you beat scalpers?
Let’s face it: there’s not much one can do to beat scalpers other than staring at your screen and constantly refreshing the store page to reach the checkout before everything sells out. The same can be said for those camping outside retailers for the RTX 5090 due to the limited supply as highlighted by IGN – besides this, most of it is left to luck and any measures put in place by Nvidia itself or retailers.
We’ve seen this occur with the likes of Valve’s Steam Deck, which was limited to one order per account when in high demand – and whilst it didn’t completely eliminate scalping, it did a great job at softening the blow, though at the cost of customers left on edge when awaiting a new batch of units. If you’re wondering where to buy Nvidia’s RTX 5090, we’ve made a short guide on the best online retailers to keep tabs on.
If scalpers manage to beat customers and units sell out quickly, I’d say it’s worth waiting patiently to avoid overpaying – especially if you’re still using an RTX 4090, as I promise you, you’re perfectly fine for the time being.
