The RTX 5090 Price Hike: Why Your GPU Upgrade Might Cost $300 More

If you were planning to upgrade your PC with the new Nvidia RTX 5090 this year, you may want to reconsider your budget. Reports indicate that the already pricey flagship GPU could see a significant price hike, potentially adding as much as $300 to its final cost.

While no official consumer-facing increase has been announced yet, the warning signs are clear. A source on the hardware forum Board Channels reports that add-in-card (AIC) partners in China have been notified of a 2,000 RMB price increase. If these reports hold true, this surge will likely trickle down to international markets, impacting PC gamers globally.

A Growing Memory Crisis

The potential price spike affects both the standard RTX 5090 and its China-exclusive RTX 5090D V2 variant. The disparity in memory specifications between regions has sparked rumors of further cost increases, mirroring trends seen in other major hardware sectors:

  • PlayStation 5: Sony has already implemented significant price increases for its console due to similar supply chain pressures.
  • Nintendo Switch 2: The upcoming hybrid console is also expected to see a price hike later this year.
  • Steam Machine: Valve’s upcoming PC gaming device hopes to launch this year, though its final pricing remains uncertain amid the ongoing memory supply crisis.

Currently, the US and UK versions of the RTX 5090 feature 32 GB of GDDR7 memory, compared to the 24 GB found in the Chinese variant. This difference has fueled speculation that high-end graphics cards could face even steeper costs as manufacturers try to offset component shortages.

RTX 5090 Pricing Is Already at a Premium

Before any potential increase, the current pricing for the RTX 5090 is already pushing the boundaries of affordability. If you have been monitoring graphics card prices closely, you will know that finding the card at a reasonable price point has become increasingly difficult.

While MSRP sits at $1,999, the card has been venturing closer to the $3,500 mark since the start of the year. In some egregious cases, retailers like Best Buy have listed the high-end GPU for an eye-watering $5,090.

For those still unclear on the underlying causes, the issue stems from a severe memory supply crisis. The AI industry’s insatiable hunger for memory chips has created outsized demand, leaving the capacity of major manufacturers like SK hynix at "essentially zero right now."

Impact on the PC Market

SK hynix, like many other major players, has capacity-expanding projects in the works. However, these initiatives likely won't have a meaningful impact on supply until 2028 at the earliest.

The consequences of this limited supply are already visible across the tech industry:

  • Higher Component Costs: HP recently warned that memory now accounts for approximately 35% of the cost of its PCs.
  • Counterfeit Hardware: The scarcity has given rise to convincing fake DDR5 modules, posing risks for consumers.
  • Upgrade Delays: For gamers, running a PC without adequate RAM or a GPU is simply not an option.

While there is currently no word on similar price increases for Nvidia's other 50-series cards, the RTX 5090 remains at the epicenter of this storm. If you were considering a high-end upgrade, the window to buy before potential price hikes may be closing fast.