Nvidia’s RTX 5090 and 5080 GPUs Sell Out in Seconds—What Happened?

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Summary

  • Nvidia’s latest GPUs, the 5090 and 5080, sold out almost immediately after launch on January 30, 2025.
  • Fans expected shortages, but stockouts happened much faster than most anticipated, leaving many empty-handed.
  • Many largely blame scalpers and bots for the shortage, though stock was also impacted by manufacturing delays.

Gaming enthusiasts eagerly waiting to acquire one of Nvidia‘s newly launched GPUs on their release day might face disillusionment, as the RTX 5090 and 5080 models sold out in just a few hours following their sale. Stock shortages are a familiar issue for the company, and many anticipated that these graphics cards would initially be scarce. However, the swift stockout still left numerous potential buyers bewildered. Nvidia plans to release more RTX 5090s and 5080s later on, but it’s likely that these GPUs will continue to be elusive for a substantial period of time.

In 2022, Nvidia’s 4090 graphics cards were sold out just two weeks after they hit the market. Given this pattern, it was reasonable for fans to assume that the release of the 50-series, now the most powerful GPUs available, would face a similar predicament. However, the sale went faster than expected. The enormous demand and limited supply made it extremely difficult for many to secure a 5090 or 5080.

Prior to the release, Nvidia predicted shortages of both the 5090 and 5080 models, but promised additional daily shipments to retailers. Keen gamers heeded the advice and prepared to queue up and refresh their online store pages early on January 30, hoping to secure a new GPU while supplies lasted. Unfortunately, most people’s patience went unrewarded. Reddit users from various nations shared experiences of 5090 stocks selling out in a matter of minutes, or even seconds.

RTX 5090 and 5080 GPUs Sell Out Immediately After Launch

Many potential buyers believe resellers and automated bots are responsible for the quick sell-outs of the new stock. Since scalpers had already posted some 5090s before launch day, it’s possible they have a point. The significant gap between the amount available and what consumers wanted didn’t make things easier. Nvidia’s GPUs are not only sought after by gamers but also by AI model developers, which means a broader audience was interested in the latest graphics cards compared to previous versions. However, it seems that Nvidia had to delay production when they discovered a problem with their Blackwell chips in 2024 and needed to fix it.

Due to the current high demand, it’s likely that the upcoming restocks of the Nvidia 5080 and 5090 GPUs might follow a similar pattern as the 4090 chips did. However, it’s unclear when the production will be able to meet the demand and supply will outpace it. In the meantime, gamers could consider getting the less powerful RTX 5070 or 5070 Ti, which are expected to launch in February. Keep in mind that even these models may face similar challenges.

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2025-01-31 19:44