To call the Nvidia RTX 50-series launch a disappointment would be a gross understatement, what with low stocks, high prices, and promised performance that’s only kind-of, maybe, if-you-squint-really-hard true. So it’s with a little reluctance that I’m bringing seemingly glad tidings of an RTX 50-series price reduction.
Yes, the RTX 50-series cards have had a price cut (via VideoCardz)… but only in Europe and the UK… and only the Founders Edition MSRP cards… and only ones that have an FE version in the line-up (no cut for the RTX 5070 Ti).
VideoCardz points out that this change tracks with the falling value of the USD and resultant change in exchange rates. For instance, Germany has seen price drops of about 4.3–4.6% for the RTX 5070, RTX 5080, and RTX 5090, which is close to the amount that the US dollar has dropped in value.
Here in the UK the prices are as follows:
- RTX 5070: Starting at £529 (down from £539)
- RTX 5070 Ti: Starting at £729 (same price)
- RTX 5080: Starting at £949 (down from £979)
- RTX 5090: Starting at £1,889 (down from £1,939)
The RTX 5070 Ti is the same price as before because there is no Founders Edition for this card and the price cuts apply just to the FEs—AIB manufacturers and vendors haven’t cut their prices.
If you click on any of these RTX 50-series FE cards, though, you’ll almost certainly be greeted by a nice gray ‘out of stock’ sign, which is sure to surprise absolutely no one. It does make you wonder what use MSRPs and paper discounts are when there’s little stock to back it.
In an earnings call last month Nvidia spoke of “strong sequential growth in Q1 as supply increases”, but the clock’s ticking and we’re yet to see that fabled supply. Instead, we’re left with seemingly empty shelves and AIB vendors hiking prices well above MSRP for those few GPUs that do come in stock.
And I do hate to sound so bitter, but it’s difficult not to when, on the other side of the field, AMD is seemingly boasting over 200,000 sales of its RX 9070 and RX 9070 XT cards already. But stocks still seem to be low and prices high over there, too, judging by retailer listings right now.
Still, I suppose it’s good to see a sign that exchange rates refer to something concrete even if GPU MSRPs don’t.
Best CPU for gaming: Top chips from Intel and AMD.
Best gaming motherboard: The right boards.
Best graphics card: Your perfect pixel-pusher awaits.
Best SSD for gaming: Get into the game first.