NVIDIA warns RTX 5090 prices may rise $300

Nvidia has reportedly told add-in-board partners to expect a roughly $300 increase in the cost of GeForce RTX 5090 and RTX 5090 D V2 graphics-card packages, according to reports published on May 14 that cited Chinese supply-chain outlet Board Channels. The reported increase is tied to higher GDDR7 memory costs rather than a change to Nvidia’s public suggested retail price, those reports said. Nvidia still lists the GeForce RTX 5090 at a starting price of $1,999 on its U.S. site. Nvidia’s China site lists the RTX 5090 D V2 at a starting price of 16,499 yuan. ### Where does the $300 figure come from? TechPowerUp and VideoCardz both said on May 14 that Board Channels had reported a cost increase of about $300, or roughly 2,000 yuan, for Nvidia’s board partners. Those reports described the change as an increase in what partners pay Nvidia for the GPU package, not an official revision to consumer MSRP. (techpowerup.com) The reports said Nvidia had been absorbing higher GDDR7 procurement costs and was now passing them through to partners. TweakTown and other follow-on reports carried the same figure and tied it to rising GDDR7 prices. ### Is Nvidia actually changing the public sticker price? (techpowerup.com) Nvidia’s own product pages still show the same starting prices. The U.S. page for the GeForce RTX 5090 says “Starting at $1999,” and the China page for the RTX 5090 D V2 says “￥16,499元起.” Neither page, as viewed on May 17, showed a revised MSRP. VideoCardz said the reported increase applies to the cost charged to add-in-card partners, which means any move in store prices would come later, when distributors and retailers update listings. (tweaktown.com) That distinction matters because Nvidia sells some cards directly at official starting prices while most buyers encounter partner-built cards in retail channels. (nvidia.com) ### Why are the 5090 and 5090 D V2 the cards in focus? The GeForce RTX 5090 uses 32 GB of GDDR7 memory, according to Nvidia’s product page. The RTX 5090 D V2, a China-specific variant, uses 24 GB of GDDR7 on a 384-bit bus, according to TechPowerUp and VideoCardz. Reports citing Board Channels said no similar cost-change notice had been issued for other GeForce RTX 50-series models so far. (videocardz.com) January 6, 2025, was the date Nvidia unveiled the Blackwell-based GeForce RTX 50 series, including the RTX 5090, at CES. That launch set the RTX 5090’s official starting price at $1,999, making it the highest-priced flagship GeForce launch to date. ### How high are retail listings already? (nvidia.com) TechPowerUp said some Western retail listings for the RTX 5090 were already regularly above $4,000 before the latest reported partner-cost increase. VideoCardz also said some listings had been moving toward $4,000 despite Nvidia keeping MSRP unchanged. Those figures describe market listings, not a new official Nvidia price. (nvidianews.nvidia.com) The $4,300 figure circulating in secondary coverage is an estimate, not an announced Nvidia price. Reports that cite Board Channels suggest higher partner costs could show up in retail channels within days or weeks, but Nvidia had not publicly posted a new list price on its product pages as of May 17. (techpowerup.com) ### What is still unconfirmed? Nvidia had not publicly announced a retail price increase for the RTX 5090 or RTX 5090 D V2 on its official product pages as of May 17. The reporting rests on supply-chain claims relayed by Board Channels and repeated by hardware news outlets, and Reuters could not independently verify the partner notice from Nvidia through a public filing or company post in the material reviewed here. (techpowerup.com) In the next few weeks, the clearest signal will be whether U.S. and China retail listings for partner cards move higher while Nvidia’s official pages continue to show $1,999 and 16,499 yuan starting prices. (nvidia.com)