WTF?! The general sense of disappointment at the RTX 5090's performance improvement compared to its price increase hasn't stopped hardcore gamers (and probably some scalpers) from camping outside Micro Center locations to buy one of the cards – or the RTX 5080 – days before they launch.
Both the RTX 5090 and RTX 5080 launch on Thursday. There have been reports that supply of cards will be severely limited, with some retailers holding inventory the in single- or double-digit figures, though it's expected to improve in February.
As is so often the case when a product's demand is expected to far outweigh its supply, people were pitching tents outside stores days ahead of the cards' release. Reddit and the Unofficial Micro Center Discord channel show that the lines started appearing outside of Micro Center's Tustin, California, location yesterday, despite the RTX 5090/5080 not arriving until January 30.
Campers already appeared
byu/Temporary-Director46 inMicrocenter
One of the campers posted on the Reddit thread that they were in the second tent with other people, and that they were buying a card for their own use. "We just don't want to pay for that extra $ for a gaming card and yes we do have some times on our hands because we run a business. Good luck to everyone who are trying to get one."
While there will be plenty of genuine gamers braving the elements to secure a 5000-series card at launch, it's likely that at least some of those in line will be scalpers.
It should come as little surprise to see eBay populated with listings for both the RTX 5090 and RTX 5080. These are described as pre-sale reservations for the cards, with the most expensive 5090 (MSRP $2,000) listed for $6,100 and the 5080 ($999 MSRP) at $2,200.
Micro Center says it will use a voucher system on launch day. These will be distributed to customers on a first-come, first-serve basis shortly before the store opens. A voucher guarantees the ability to purchase a GPU – only one card can be purchased per customer – but does not guarantee a specific model or manufacturer. The company warns that lines are likely. It also says it discourages camping outside its stores, though obviously doesn't disallow the practice.
The image brings back memories of similar scenes, particularly during the height of Covid. There was chaos in June 2021 when a Micro Center store in Dallas restocked RTX 3000 cards that had become almost impossible to buy during the chip crisis. The same thing happened during the RTX 3070 launch in 2020.
Our review of the RTX 5090 shows that it is 25% more expensive than the RTX 4090 while delivering an average of 27% more performance.
Campers arrive at Micro Center for Nvidia RTX 5090 and 5080 GPUs days before launch
