Nvidia’s flagship RTX 5090 launched at a $1,999 MSRP (with the Founders Edition still available at that price), but street prices have already surged to $3,000–$3,695 on Newegg.
Now, a bombshell Newsis report claims phased price hikes could push the RTX 5090 to $5,000 by mid-2026, citing AI-driven memory shortages as the primary cause.
Why the Surge?
VRAM Costs Are Exploding
GDDR7 and DRAM now reportedly account for up to 80% of a GPU’s bill of materials, compared to just 20–30% previously. AI data centers are hoarding memory supply, with prices projected to rise another 40% by Q2 2026.
Phased Price Increases
According to industry reports, AMD begins price adjustments in January, followed by Nvidia in February, with monthly increases affecting both consumer and AI GPUs.
Supply Squeeze
Nvidia is rumored to cut gaming GPU production by 30–40%, prioritizing AI accelerators. Premium AIB models—such as MSI Lightning—are already selling well above MSRP.
RTX 5090 Price Trajectory (Rumored)
| Stage | RTX 5090 Price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Launch (2025) | $1,999 MSRP | Founders Edition only |
| Now (Jan 2026) | $3,000–$3,700 | Scalper & AIB street pricing |
| Q1–Q2 2026 | Up to $5,000 | Full phased hikes peak |
Industry Response
Nvidia and AMD remain silent on the reports. Some analysts call the projections overblown, but confirmed laptop price hikes from ASUS and Dell suggest memory costs are already hitting hardware pricing hard.
Source: NotebookCheckzss
Should You Buy Now?
If you can secure a Founders Edition at MSRP, it may be worth grabbing. Waiting for price stabilization appears unlikely in the short term.
For many gamers, consoles or cloud gaming may become the safer hedge.
On X, frustration is boiling over, with one viral sentiment summing it up:
“AI killed PC gaming?”
What’s your move?
