NVIDIA GeForce RTX 50 series GPUs get up to 30% more expensive in South Korea

Q: Are the reported South Korean RTX 50 price increases already appearing in the US and Chinese markets?

Yes. The primary article says the increases have already shown up in the US and Chinese markets, noting MSI and Colorful cards in China jumped by similar margins earlier and that North American buyers already saw 20 to 22 percent MSRP bumps on higher-end SKUs earlier this year.

Q: Which data sources and trackers (like Danawa or TrendForce) does the article cite for the price and memory-cost figures?

The article cites ZDNet Korea for reporting distributor confirmations, TrendForce for GDDR7 module pricing, and Korean price tracker Danawa for the listed GPU street prices. It also references reports and articles from Tweaktown and notes TSMC wafer price hikes as a contributing cost factor.

Q: Which RTX 50 models are being mentioned as potentially discontinued due to GDDR7 chip price increases?

The RTX 5060 Ti 16GB is being mentioned as potentially discontinued due to GDDR7 chip price increases. Related article: "RTX 5060 Ti 16GB rumored to be discontinued over GDDR7 memory chip price increases" notes the 8GB model might continue.

RTX 5090 prices just crossed $5,000 in South Korea, and rising GDDR7 memory costs mean the rest of the RTX 50 lineup is climbing too.

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Hassam Nasir

Tech Reporter

Published Aug 3, 2026 7:55 PM CDT

1 minute & 45 seconds read time

TL;DR: GeForce RTX 50 series GPUs in South Korea rose up to ~30% as GDDR7 memory and TSMC wafer price increases pushed NVIDIA's bundled kit costs higher. Models like the RTX 5090 jumped to about 7.3 million won (~$5,087). Similar hikes appeared in US and China, and instability may continue.

Voice: Hassam NasirSpeed

0:00 / 3:21

GeForce RTX 50 series graphics cards are getting noticeably pricier in South Korea this month, with retailers there reporting hikes of up to 30% depending on the model. According to ZDNet Korea, multiple domestic importers and distributors confirmed that major board partners are rolling out the increases starting this week, and some had already quietly raised prices over the weekend.

The culprit is the same one we keep talking about: memory. NVIDIA bundles the GPU die and GDDR7 modules together as a single kit for its add-in board partners, so when GDDR7 pricing climbs, the kit price climbs with it. Research firm TrendForce says standard 2GB GDDR7 modules are now going for the low $20s each, and TSMC's own wafer price hikes on its advanced nodes are adding another layer of cost.

NVIDIA GeForce RTX 50 series GPUs get up to 30% more expensive in South Korea 1

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Korean price tracker Danawa listed the cheapest RTX 5060 Ti 8GB cards around 700,000 won (roughly $488), up about 70,000 won ($49) from before. The RTX 5070 12GB climbed to around 1.1 million won ($767), a jump of nearly $140. The RTX 5090 32GB is apparently the hardest hit, now selling for around 7.3 million won, or about $5,087, up as much as $1,045 from mid-July pricing.

The report also notes these increases have already shown up in the US and Chinese markets. MSI and Colorful cards in China jumped by similar margins earlier, and NVIDIA reportedly warned partners about an RTX 5090 price hike back in May. It looks like this South Korean bump is just the latest domino, and it probably won't be the last one given how this year has gone.

NVIDIA GeForce RTX 50 series GPUs get up to 30% more expensive in South Korea 5

The pattern is becoming familiar and frustrating for buyers. Every few weeks brings another rumored 20-30% GPU price increase, and it's stacking on top of already inflated RAM and SSD prices. One Korean retailer even suggested buyers might start turning to used GPUs instead of building new PCs, which is plausible given the state of the market right now.

NVIDIA hasn't commented publicly on this specific Korean pricing, and it's unclear whether US and European retailers will see another round of hikes soon. North American buyers have already dealt with 20-22% MSRP bumps on higher-end SKUs earlier this year, so a similar move stateside wouldn't really be shocking at this point.

NVIDIA GeForce RTX 50 series GPUs get up to 30% more expensive in South Korea 4

Frequently Asked Questions

TweakBot answers common questions about this news using TweakTown's own coverage from this page and related content from our archive. Tap a question to reveal the answer, or type your own below.

Question #1

Are the reported South Korean RTX 50 price increases already appearing in the US and Chinese markets?

Question #2

Which data sources and trackers (like Danawa or TrendForce) does the article cite for the price and memory-cost figures?

Question #3

Has NVIDIA publicly responded to these South Korean price increases or previous warnings about RTX 5090 costs?

NVIDIA has not commented publicly on the South Korean price increases, according to the primary article. The article does note NVIDIA reportedly warned partners about an RTX 5090 price hike back in May (see related article "NVIDIA is reportedly preparing an RTX 5090 price hike due to rising costs of GDDR7 memory").

Answered

Question #4

Which RTX 50 models are being mentioned as potentially discontinued due to GDDR7 chip price increases?

Have a question not listed here? Ask below and TweakBot will answer it.

Given that some models are already facing discontinuation over memory costs, we wouldn't be surprised if pricing stays unstable well into next year. The memory shortage doesn't seem to be easing anytime soon, and until it does, GPU pricing will probably keep moving in one direction only.