NVIDIA's RTX 5080 pricing has been rumored to be coming in higher than the MSRP with many third-party graphics cards, and we've just caught another hint that this is the case, this time from a US retailer.

GIGABYTE's models like the AORUS Master RTX 5080 will be a good deal pricier than the entry-level WindForce (Image Credit: GIGABYTE)
Previously, a Finnish retailer (Proshop) had listed GIGABYTE's RTX 5080 models, showing that only the WindForce variant would be at the MSRP, and all the others would be a fair bit pricier (15% above the MSRP, at a minimum).
Now Best Buy in the US has listed those GIGABYTE models (as VideoCardz flagged up), and mirroring what we saw over in Europe, only the WindForce RTX 5080 is pitched at the MSRP of $999.
All the other models are at least $200 more expensive, meaning that we're actually looking at a 20% premium over the MSRP for everything but the WindForce graphics card, assuming these prices are correct (and we must remember, this is just a rumor).
The fact that these spilled prices from Finland and the US roughly align, however, does seem to suggest what's been the buzz on the rumor mill for some time - namely that third-party boards are going to jack up pricing with the RTX 5080 in the main, and there won't be many models at the MSRP.
Not great news for those looking for an RTX 5080 to enjoy 4K gaming with, and equally bad is all the chatter around stock shortages - which NVIDIA has now confirmed.
In some ways, it doesn't matter how pricey these initial RTX 5080 graphics cards are, because they will sell out very quickly, as not just PC gamers, but price gougers get in the mix and try to turn their usual profit in these scenarios.