The Massive Price Hikes on NVIDIA's New Graphics Card
Wed Feb 05 2025
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This: NVIDIA releases a new graphics card, the RTX 5090, and suddenly, people in Taiwan are paying up to $9, 100 for it. That's almost five times the official price! This isn't just an example of high demand. It is a sign of a larger, more complicated situation.
This problem stems from the limited supply of the initial batch. Supply chains are often complex, but the fact that the RTX 5090 is so scarce in Taiwan makes people wonder if the situation is as bad in other places. It is like trying to find a needle in a haystack. The next batch of cards might not arrive until after the Chinese New Year.
Here's where it gets tricky. Taiwan is a major market for NVIDIA's consumer GPUs. If the supply is low there, it probably means other regions are facing similar issues. In the US, buyers are already seeing the RTX 5090 listed for as high as $9, 000 on eBay. Some listings even offer "pre-order" slots, which is unusual. And what about those listings selling the GPU at the official price? Be careful, because in this market, it's hard to know what's real.
This isn't just about high prices. It's about the power of scalpers. These are people who buy up limited items and resell them at much higher prices. This can be a big problem for consumers who want to get their hands on the latest tech, but also for companies hoping to keep their products accessible.
It's expected that the supply will improve in late February or mid-March. But there's another twist: AMD is about to release its RX 9070 series. This could add more competition to the market, which might make the situation even more complicated. Competition is usually a good thing, but in this case, it could mean that the RTX 5090 stays out of reach for even longer.
This situation raises a lot of questions. Is NVIDIA doing enough to control the supply? Are retailers and scalpers taking advantage of the situation? Is the high demand justified, or is it just a result of clever marketing?
The bottom line is that the RTX 5090 is in high demand, but the supply chain is struggling to keep up. As a result, prices are skyrocketing, and buyers are left to navigate a market full of uncertainty.
