Nvidia RTX 4090 Prices Have Been Creeping Upward

The RTX 4090 is Nvidia's most expensive consumer videocard, but demand for it appears to be still high, as the Founders Edition model is frequently running out of stock. Although it is the best graphic card, this card has been affordable for the majority of the past year at or just below MSRP. That is no longer the case as the cost of RTX 4090 cards from AIB partners has increased by $50 in the last month. The cheapest 4090 cards that are currently in stock cost $1,654.99 from Amazon or $1,649.99 from Newegg.

Regardless of the card you choose, none of the RTX 4090 models are currently available for the original $1599 MSRP. Beginning in the middle of June and lasting through September, prices increased. Early in August, the Gigabyte Gaming OC listing on Amazon hit a yearly low price of $1,616.43; however, once September arrived, the price quickly increased to $1,699.99. Similar pricing patterns can be seen in Asus' TUF card, which peaked at $1,699.99 in the middle of June before holding steady at $1,730 for a few months before finally rising to $1,799.99 (with spikes as high as $1,819.99) starting in September.

The RTX 4090 Founders Edition, which is sold only at Best Buy and is required to be sold at MSRP, is the only product that might be an exception to this pricing pattern. However, Nvidia's own-brand card frequently runs out of stock because of its fixed $1,599 price, which causes inconsistent availability. Even the Founders Edition prices have increased by €30 since May of this year in Europe, where the RTX 4090's price increases have also been observed.

Although there may be new and increased demand for the RTX 4090, these recent price fluctuations are consistent with recent shortages of the graphics card that we learned about in Japan two weeks ago. According to reports, there is a severe RTX 4090 shortage occurring throughout Tokyo, making it difficult for residents to locate the company's flagship GPU anywhere. According to reports, the shortage was so severe that a Japanese store owner believed it to be a global problem.

If the current trends continue, there may be a global shortage and even higher prices due to these modest price increases and the news from Tokyo. However, it is likely that this is just a brief blip in the supply chain that will be resolved. After all, the season for holiday shopping binges is now formally approaching. Maybe there will soon be a ton of RTX 4090 card "deals" where prices drop to MSRP? Hope is all we have.

Now you know what all the fuss is about.