Updated
Updated · Tom's Hardware · Aug 3
Nvidia RTX 5090 Hits $4,288 as AI-Driven VRAM Costs Push GPU Prices Higher
Updated
Updated · Tom's Hardware · Aug 3

Nvidia RTX 5090 Hits $4,288 as AI-Driven VRAM Costs Push GPU Prices Higher

3 articles · Updated · Tom's Hardware · Aug 3

Summary

  • $4,288 is the current low-end street price for Nvidia’s RTX 5090, up $2,289 from its $1,999 launch MSRP and never below launch price since release.
  • AI-driven memory demand is lifting VRAM costs, raising production expenses for Nvidia, AMD and board partners and feeding directly into retail GPU prices even without supply shortages.
  • AMD’s RX 9070 XT, long seen as a high-end value option, has also climbed to $719 from a $599 MSRP after recently holding near $699.
  • 2025’s GPU generation has seen few meaningful discounts at Black Friday or Prime Day, and with next-generation cards not expected until late 2027 or 2028, buyers face little relief.

Insights

As RTX 5090 prices threaten to cross $5,000, are GPU makers intentionally sacrificing the gaming market to feed the lucrative AI industry?
With AI devouring global memory supplies in 2026, will PC gamers ever see affordable graphics cards again, or is the budget build dead?
Could the severe 2026 DRAM shortage unexpectedly trigger a golden age for cloud gaming as traditional graphics cards become luxury items?