MSI denies involvement after a shipment of its GeForce RTX 5090 GPUs was spotted in China

For PC gaming and hardware enthusiasts, it's relatively common knowledge that NVIDIA's flagship GeForce RTX 5090 graphics card is restricted for sale in China. This means that NVIDIA's partners are unable to export this particular RTX Blackwell GPU to the region, which is why the GeForce RTX 5090D and RTX 5090D V2 GPUs were created. These China-only cut-down models comply with the US government-based export restrictions and controls on GPUs that can be sold in China.

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A massive amount of MSI-branded restricted GeForce RTX 5090 GPUs has been spotted in China, image credit: Reddit

And this is why a recent Reddit post showcasing a picture that claims to be from China has gone viral. The image shows pellets full of brand-new GeForce RTX 5090 graphics cards, the full-fat restricted versions, with what appears to be hundreds of cards. And to top it off, they're all MSI models, with the company's Ventus 3X and Gaming Trio variants clearly visible.

• Read more: NVIDIA launches RTX 5090 D V2 in China for 16,499 yuan, up to $1400 cheaper than the RTX 5090

Since these GPU restrictions, which also cover AI and data center NVIDIA cards, went into place, there have been reports of companies and third parties circumventing the export restrictions. Allegedly, they are doing this by funneling GPUs into China via Singapore, and there are investigations underway. It's a sensitive topic, and with this new picture depicting hundreds of MSI-branded GeForce RTX 5090 GPUs making their way to China, the company has released a statement that says, no, it's not secretly selling RTX 5090s in the region.

"MSI has noted online rumors claiming that the GeForce RTX 5090 is circulating in China, creating market confusion," the statement begins. "We clarify that MSI has never officially sold or distributed the GeForce RTX 5090 in China. Any units found locally are not from MSI-authorized channels and have entered through unauthorized distribution unrelated to our sales policy."

"We strictly comply with international regulations and NVIDIA's regional authorization framework," it continues. "The GeForce RTX 5090 is available only in the Americas, Europe, and select Asia-Pacific markets. In China, MSI offers only the GeForce RTX 5090 D and GeForce RTX 5090 D V2 - versions designed to meet local regulatory requirements. Any RTX 5090 units appearing in China can therefore be clearly identified as non-official supply."

You can read the full statement here, which states that MSI has global serial-number tracking and that these cards originate from "overseas retail markets" and have been imported by unauthorized distributors. And with that, they're not eligible for warranty or repair. MSI is also planning to implement additional measures related to the distribution of its GPUs, viewing instances like this as misleading and damaging to its brand identity.