Hello again, GPU shortage — we really didn’t miss you. Although the RTX 50-series is technically here, the reality isn’t that simple. The RTX 5090 and the RTX 5080 launched in January in a very limited capacity, and now, it looks like the other graphics cards in the lineup may have to pay the price. According to Ming-Chi Kuo, a well-known market analyst, the release dates for Nvidia’s best graphics cards for gamers are being pushed back. Worse yet, the GPUs will likely sell out the moment they hit the shelves.
Kuo reports that chip supply constraints are causing shortages, but this is no news to us. The RTX 5090 sold out almost as soon as it hit the shelves, and some retailers report that we might have to wait until June for the GPUs to come back in stock. Meanwhile, scalpers are having a field day on eBay, selling the cards at a massive markup — or even selling photos of the GPU at $2,000.
Most gamers hoped that these issues would be resolved by the time Nvidia’s most popular GPUs became available. So far, two more models have been confirmed, with the RTX 5070 Ti rumored to launch in just a week on February 20. The RTX 5070 is said to follow in early March, which will put it in direct competition with AMD’s RX 9070 XT — a card that has already faced its own share of issues.
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Gamers and power users are eager to get the RTX 5090 and 5080, but chip supply constraints are causing shortages. Supply issues will likely push back mass production of the RTX 5070/5060 from the original Feb/Mar to Mar/Apr. Limited supply means these two cards will sell out…
— 郭明錤 (Ming-Chi Kuo) (@mingchikuo) February 12, 2025
Ming-Chi Kuo also shed some light on a possible release date for the RTX 5060, which will likely follow in the footsteps of the RTX 3060 and the RTX 4060 and go on to become the go-to Nvidia GPU for mainstream gamers. Unfortunately, those of us who want a new GPU may have to wait, because Kuo predicts the RTX 5060 won’t arrive until April.
With a staggered release date, I was hopeful that we’d have plenty of RTX 5070s and RTX 5060s to go around, but Kuo doubts that. The analyst claims that Nvidia’s mainstream chips will also face the same supply issues as their far more expensive counterparts. As a result, we might witness another paper launch, where the GPUs are theoretically available but no one gets to actually buy them (without paying scalper premiums, that is).
Another X (Twitter) user, Kakashii, spoke to some retailers in Taiwan to figure out whether the RTX 5090 and the RTX 5080 would soon come back in stock. The news is grim here, too, with Kakashii saying: “None of them have an estimate for the next batch of the 5090 — it could take weeks or even months.”
It’s starting to feel like the RTX 30-series all over again, and I can’t say that I’m happy about it. But, although this is bad news for Nvidia fans, AMD may be able to benefit. If Nvidia’s GPUs are nowhere to be found, more people are likely to give the RX 9070 XT a try, and if priced correctly, it could turn out to be an excellent GPU. We should find out more in the next couple of weeks.
