Learn extra at:
Facepalm: It has been almost two months since Nvidia launched its RTX 50 collection Blackwell GPUs, but the corporate continues to battle with important provide chain points. Regardless of rumors of enhancing availability, scalpers stay prevalent, irritating not solely particular person prospects but in addition system integrators.
System integrator PowerGPU has confronted substantial challenges in securing RTX 5090 items, forcing it to lift costs. PowerGPU’s CEO, Jese Martinez, just lately addressed allegations of price-gouging in a video on X, stating that the corporate itself has fallen sufferer to scalping by distributors.
Martinez defined that the excessive costs of RTX 5090 GPUs should not as a consequence of extreme revenue margins however reasonably the results of PowerGPU having to buy them at inflated charges. He reported that the corporate is being supplied entry-level to mid-range RTX 5090 fashions at costs starting from $3,050 to over $3,100 – considerably greater than the official MSRP of $1,999.
Different customized PC builders, equivalent to iBuyPower and Storm, are additionally experiencing comparable value hikes for the RTX 5090, with costs starting from $2,900 to over $3,300.
A big video from our founder/CEO on the RTX 5090 pricing. pic.twitter.com/6GEvYFkD9K
– PowerGPU (@PowerGPU) March 13, 2025
Nvidia claims to have shipped twice as many Blackwell GPUs as Ada Lovelace GPUs inside 5 weeks of launch. Nonetheless, this metric does little to alleviate the frustration of shoppers who’ve been unable to buy RTX 50 GPUs at their really useful retail value since launch.
By comparability, AMD’s Radeon RX 9070 collection launch, whereas not flawless, has fared higher.
AMD has maintained considerably higher availability of its Radeon RX 9070 collection in comparison with Nvidia’s RTX 50 collection, though it is nonetheless too soon to tell if MSRPs might be actual for many shoppers. At launch, AMD ensured a considerable inventory of Radeon RX 9070 and 9070 XT GPUs and partnered with a number of board producers to ensure extra widespread availability.
Regardless of these efforts, some retailers have quietly elevated Radeon RX 9070 collection costs by as much as $130 above MSRP, mirroring the inflation seen with Nvidia’s GPUs. Nonetheless, AMD’s technique has usually allowed shoppers to buy the RX 9070 collection with fewer delays and at extra secure costs than Nvidia’s choices.
The truth that Nvidia GPUs are additionally in greater demand for AI workloads and never simply gaming, means there’s extra folks prepared to overpay to achieve entry to the {hardware}.
Additionally see: The State of the GPU: All Fake MSRPs?
The widespread unavailability of Nvidia GPUs has tarnished the fame of system integrators. PowerGPU, as an example, has confronted a 2-3 week look ahead to preliminary shipments, with provide remaining scarce. A latest stock replace revealed a stark distinction: whereas roughly 70 Radeon RX 9070 collection GPUs have been out there, just one RTX 5090 unit was in inventory.
The scenario is additional exacerbated by the depletion of last-generation GPU inventory, which started as early as October. Trying to find older fashions just like the RTX 4090 usually yields no outcomes, resulting in “pandemic-level pricing” for brand spanking new GPUs. Because of this, many shoppers have turned to the used market, the place Ampere (GeForce 30) and RDNA 2/3 GPUs stay extensively out there.
