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Nvidia’s list prices for its recently launched RTX series graphics cards are now almost fictitious, with board partners charging hundreds of dollars more for certain models. MSI’s listing for the weekend was devoid of MSRP. While some listings still have the MSRP listed, others do not. This raises concerns about a repeat of the crypto-driven price inflation of 2021.
Hardware & Co has recently MSI raised the prices of its Nvidia RTX50 series graphics cards by removing the last remaining MSRP listings. The prices have since decreased. Only two RTX-5070 Ti models adhere to Nvidia pricing suggestions.
According to a screenshot from VideoCardz, MSI temporarily increased the prices of the cheapest RTX-5070 Ti variants. The Shadow 3X was listed at $819 while the Shadow 3X OC was listed at $839. Both have since been returned to the GPU’s $749 MSRP. The Ventus 3X OC, and Inspire 3X OC, also saw temporary increases of $70 and $80-respectively.
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Unfortunately, MSI continues to apply premiums to all available RTX 5080 and 5090 models. Despite the RTX 5080’s official $999 MSRP, MSI’s cheapest option is the Ventus 3X at $1,139. Meanwhile, the RTX 5090, theoretically priced at $1,999, actually starts at $2,399.
While other board partners have also raised prices for most RTX 50 models, some MSRP listings remain, suggesting that not all manufacturers have followed MSI’s lead – at least not yet. The standard RTX 5070, launching on March 5, has so far maintained its $549 list price.
Inflated prices have only worsened what was already a lukewarm cost-per-frame improvement with the RTX 50 series. Our RTX 5070 Ti review concluded that the GPU is only worthwhile at MSRP. At $900, customers might as well have bought an RTX 4070 Ti two years ago. Interested customers forced to pay $900 instead may as well have purchased an RTX 4070 Ti two years ago.
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Despite the high price, these models are still sold out almost instantly. Some retailers received just a few high-end cards when Nvidia’s new lineup was launched in January. It is unclear when the stock levels will improve.
According to one theory, the lack of MSRP cards from board partners is due to their razor-thin margins. This was made worse by Nvidia’s choice to use more expensive GDDR7 RAM for every RTX50 GPU. A recent earthquake in Taiwan may have also affected supply chains.
It is unclear whether AMD can capitalize on Nvidia’s “paper launch” . Team Red’s Radeon RX9070 and 9070 XT will launch in the near future at $549 and $59, respectively. The rasterized performance is expected to be similar to that of the RTX5070 and 5070T. AMD’s new graphics cards have not yet been listed on board partner websites.
