High-end PC gaming is in big trouble, thanks to AI – and RTX 5090 price hikes are prime examples
Gaming GPU price hikes are about to be obscene, and the RTX 5090 is a prime example.
(Image credit: Nguyen Viet)
- Retailers have increased pricing of Nvidia GeForce RTX 5090 GPUs
- Prices are almost double the original retail pricing
- It appears to be a direct impact from the RAM crisis due to AI demand
We're officially in 2026, and last year's rumors regarding GPU price hikes on Nvidia and AMD GPUs (due to the ongoing RAM crisis) appear to be accurate, which may prove very unfortunate for PC gamers.
As reported by VideoCardz, Nvidia GeForce RTX 5090 prices have increased significantly above the original retail pricing, with models reaching up to $4,000 across multiple retailers. The GeForce RTX 5090 Founders Edition is still priced at $1,999 / £1,799 / AU$4,039, so the price hikes appear to be coming directly from retailers and private sellers.
RAM kits have become much pricier over the last few months, due to the current AI boom, and appear to be the reason behind these GPU price increases (since GPUs also use VRAM).
It's likely resulted in retailers seeking ways to get customers to pay more for PC hardware across the board due to higher demand, and the looming threat of potential price hikes directly from Team Green and AMD on RTX and Radeon GPUs, respectively.
A prime example is on Best Buy, with the Asus ROG Astral RTX 5090 now available for a staggering $3,610.78, almost double the Founders Edition's MSRP, and a significant chunk above the third-party GPU's standard pricing (around $2,799.99).
(Image credit: Best Buy)
The same price jumps above MSRP have occurred with AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT GPUs long before the RAM crisis, and have continued – the XFX Mercury Radeon RX 9070 XT OC Edition on Best Buy is now at $849.99, up from its $599 retail price.
None of these price hikes come straight from Nvidia or AMD (yet...), and despite recent rumors suggesting that Team Green plans to raise the RTX 5090's MSRP to $5,000, there's no confirmation of that – and frankly, it's unlikely that we'll see such a ludicrously aggressive price increase.
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