As if the GPU landscape wasn’t already chaotic, Nvidia apparently plans to hike the prices of its top-tier graphics cards. A recent report indicates that Nvidia is raising the costs of its RTX 50-series GPUs for its board partners and suppliers, potentially impacting consumer pricing. Here’s what you need to know.
First off, this isn’t a straightforward price hike, like bumping the MSRP of the RTX 5090 from $2,000 to $2,500 (don’t worry, that hasn’t happened, although finding an RTX 5090 for under $3,000 is a challenge). This increase is more behind-the-scenes, making it difficult to confirm its accuracy — so take it with a grain of skepticism. The report originates from Digitimes and was later picked up by XDA Developers. Nvidia has yet to offer any official commentary on the situation, so we may need to wait for clarification. Even if the report is accurate, official confirmation could remain elusive.
If it turns out to be true, the price situation for GPUs could quickly deteriorate further, and it was already bleak to start with.
Digitimes alleges that Nvidia’s pricing adjustments will mainly impact suppliers and add-in board partners (AIBs). Nvidia reportedly permits these partners to pass on the price increases to consumers, meaning rather than absorbing the costs, these companies might choose to increase prices for the end-users. Given the current state of the GPU market, this wouldn’t come as a shock.
The report specifies that one significant factor driving this change is export controls. Nvidia’s premier GPUs, namely the RTX 4090 and RTX 5090, cannot be exported to China, which fuels global demand and prevents these GPUs from being sold at MSRP. Digitimes suggests that this surge in demand has effectively doubled the channel price for these products, and despite their prices, they continue to sell well and frequently go out of stock, indicating that demand remains high. Tariffs also play a crucial role in this rumored decision.
Nvidia has relocated much of its RTX 50-series production to TSMC’s Arizona facility in an attempt to mitigate tariff impacts, but completely avoiding their effects remains a challenge. Raising prices could help Nvidia recover some losses from external pressures while sustaining its profit margins.
So, how much of an increase are we talking about? According to Digitimes, the RTX 5090 has experienced a 10% bump, with manufacturers facing hikes of up to 15%. It’s uncertain if every model in the RTX 50-series is affected, but the RTX 5090 seems to be the primary focus.
The GPU market has seen significant upheaval in recent months. While the RTX 40-series was largely available at MSRP after initial excitement waned (except for the RTX 4090), the RTX 50-series is far from it. Even standard GPUs like the RTX 5060 Ti, or AMD’s RX 9070 XT, are being sold at elevated prices, with increases ranging from $100 to $300 for some AMD models. Even modest offerings such as the Intel Arc B580 are pricier than they were at launch.
If Nvidia follows through with this alleged price increase, estimating how much of that might be passed down to consumers is complex. Given the already high prices, we can only hope that companies opt to reduce their profit margins and keep GPU costs relatively stable, though it may just be wishful thinking.
