Nvidia's top-end RTX 5090 gaming GPU now costs at least $5,000 — Blackwell cards continue to endure drastic price hikes

It's hard to believe that Nvidia first introduced the RTX 5090 gaming GPU at last year's CES for just $1,999. Prices have skyrocketed, thanks to the AI boom, and are now $5,000 in North America and even higher in other regions. This represents a 2.5x increase in under two years, mirroring the surge in prices across the entire RTX 50-series line. For a deeper dive, check out the TH Premium GPUs article.

The cheapest RTX 5090 currently available in the US is the Zotac Solid OC, priced at $4,999 on Newegg. This includes a $60 game and a $145 power supply, but it still represents a $5,000 card that was only $2,250 a year ago. A more popular variant, the ROG Astral 4X OC, is now listed for $6,000, compared to $3,360 last year - a nearly 2x price jump. In Europe, the cheapest RTX 5090 in Germany is the MSI Gaming Trio OC at 4,850 Euros ($5,620), more than double the original price of 2,249 Euros ($2,600) a year earlier.

Other RTX 50-series GPUs have also seen price hikes, with the RTX 5060 Ti 16GB suffering the most at 77% increase, from $429 to $761. The RTX 5080 is 55% more expensive at $1,549, and the RTX 5060 and RTX 5070 Ti are 50% more at $448 and $1,119, respectively. The only card to avoid this trend is the base model RTX 5050, which has only seen a 20% price increase from $249 to $299.

This GPU price surge is driven by a shortage of key components, as demand shifts to AI-focused enterprises. RAM and SSD prices have also increased dramatically, making DIY PC building less affordable than ever.