The memory crisis is causing havoc across the consumer hardware market, and for PC gaming graphics cards, that brief period when GPUs were sold at near-MSRP in late 2025 now feels like a distant memory. As we head into 2026, higher-end GeForce RTX 50 Series cards like the RTX 5080 and RTX 5090 are seeing the most significant price increases.
Looking at the current U.S. retail market, most new GeForce RTX 5080 GPUs with 16GB of fast GDDR7 memory are priced 45% or more above the $999 MSRP. Things are worse for the flagship GeForce RTX 5090, with its 32GB of GDDR7 memory, which is now so scarce that models are priced at 75% or more above the $1999 MSRP.
Popular Now: Xbox Series X can now run PS5 games thanks to a new emulatorOf course, as the AI boom has led us to this point, cards like the RTX 5080 and RTX 5090, even at inflated prices, are highly sought after by AI enthusiasts and AI companies alike. And in many regions, such as Europe, this leaves NVIDIA's Founders Edition models as the only way to get either of these GPUs at a reasonable price. The only problem? They're selling out in minutes.
According to a new report from the German outlet ComputerBase, NVIDIA released a new batch of GeForce RTX 5070, RTX 5080, and RTX 5090 Founders Edition models on its online storefront in the region on January 30, 2026.
As the first batch of GeForce RTX 50 Series Founders Edition stock since December, the GeForce RTX 5090 Founders Edition sold out in just eight minutes thanks to its low €2,099 price. The GeForce RTX 5080 Founders Edition, priced at €1,059, sold out in twenty minutes, while the GeForce RTX 5070 Founders Edition, priced at €589, was available for around three hours or so. Now, when it comes to Founders Edition models, odds are that stock was limited as most GeForce RTX GPU allocation goes to partner models, but it's a handy reminder that if you're after a new GPU in 2026 and see a deal, run, don't walk.
