Nvidia warned of inventory shortages earlier this week, and now its $1,999 RTX 5090 launch yesterday is being called a “paper trail” after people camped outside stores to find only a few, if any, cards in stock.
Reddit users have been tracking RTX 5090 and RTX 5080 card inventory at microcenters across the US, with some stores that opened on Thursday not having any RTX 5090 cards at all. The Micro Center store in Tustin, California seems to have received the largest stock, but other stores reportedly had 10 or fewer RTX 5090 cards. While Nvidia’s RTX 5080 was slightly easier to acquire on launch day, the cards sold out quickly at retailers such as Best Buy and Amazon.
One Reddit user claims to have received an RTX 5090 after waiting in line for three days, while others have posted purchase vouchers that were handed out to people in line at the Miami Microcenter. However, the vast majority of posts are from people complaining about the launch and lack of stock.
Gamers Nexus claims that one of the largest system integrators in the US received only one RTX 5090 on launch day, before a smaller shipment arrived later. Another major system builder reportedly did not receive a single unit, and a third received 20 RTX 5090s, which it sold in pre-assembled machines in minutes.
Many retailers are now simply listing pre-orders for RTX 5090 cards, and UK-based Scan warns that some cards will not be in stock until the end of May, four months after the launch date. Naturally, such a low inventory level in the face of high demand means that there are scalpers selling RTX 5090 cards on eBay for $5,000 or more. YouTuber JayzTwoCents even found an RTX 5090 on sale for $5,800 on Facebook after he signed the card at a Tustin Micro Center store earlier that day.
We reached out to Nvidia to comment on the RTX 5090 launch issues, but the company declined to comment beyond the previous warning of stock shortages.
