Semiconductor giant Nvidia is in an enviable position at the start of 2025: It is making inroads in AI, robotics, medicine and more backed by its significant lead in GPUs versus the competition that made it a Wall Street darling in the past few years.
There is, however, a key segment of its clientele that is not as enthused: prospective gamers looking to get their hands on the latest Blackwell-based RTX 50 series GPUs. Nvidia’s RTX 5090 and 5080 are not easy to find, even as the RTX 5070 Ti goes on sale this week. However, the former in particular is a challenging product to locate, despite its MSRP of $2000 and AIB partners charging as much as $3000 or even more for some of their most premium SKUs.
This has not stopped scalpers from wading into what is essentially a perfect storm of low supply and unsuppressed demand for Nvidia’s fastest consumer-grade GPU yet that has already resulted in commentary from Team Green of potential ‘Stock-outs’.
They have, as a result, tacked on as much as $1000 to 8000 to some RTX 5090 listings, as seen by the Game Rant team on multiple forums, with high-end options such as the RTX 5090 Astral OC from ASUS and MSI’s SUPRIM offerings being the worst-hit in terms of pricing. While the RTX 5080 is less affected than its flagship sibling, it still commands a premium even as tariffs send MSRP shooting upwards in a market already struggling with stock limitations.
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Nvidia’s Verified Priority Access Program: A Fairer Allocation Attempt
To Nvidia’s credit, it is attempting to address the supply issue by aiming to get more RTX 5090 and 5080 Founders Edition SKUs directly in the hands of gamers and creators that it can verify.
A post by a staff member on Nvidia’s community forums highlighting the new Verified Priority Access program.
While there is no guarantee of availability, for users who qualify, Nvidia’s new Verified Priority Access might just be the best way to score an RTX 50 series GPU this quarter if current supply limitations persist. Users get the choice of opting for the RTX 5080 and the RTX 5090 (or both), but opting in does not guarantee availability with Nvidia’s post stating that users can ‘submit their interest’ through the linked form.
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How Do You Sign Up For Nvidia’s Verified Priority Access
Nvidia’s process seems to be a rather straightforward one when signing up for the chance to purchase either of the Founders Edition SKUs of both its flagship and penultimate GPU models.
If you are interested, you need to meet the following requirements:
- You must currently reside in the United States.
- You must have an Nvidia account created on or before the 30th of Jan 2025 (6 AM Pacific Time to be exact).
- You must fill out this form to get a chance to qualify.
It is pertinent to note that the offer is by no means a guarantee of availability when invites begin rolling out next week. The rollout is also limited to Nvidia’s own Founder’s Edition SKUs even as AIB partners and retailers such as Newegg (which is running a raffle to confront supply limitations) remain the only place to get a customized RTX 5090 or 5080 GPU currently.
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