TheRTX 5090andRTX 5080will launch in three days, and dedicated gamers and GPU enthusiasts are already setting up shop at MicroCenter brick-and-mortar locations to buy the new GPUs when they are available. A post on theMicro Center subredditreveals customers pitching tents by the front doors at the Tustin, California, location.
So far, only a handful of customers have made camp on the Tustin location’s sidewalk, based on a photograph taken of the scene. However, we can expect more campers to arrive as the RTX 5090 and RTX 5080 launch date approaches, following previous GPU releases.
Camping outside Micro Center is common regarding new GPU releases, especially high-profile ones like the RTX 5090. We saw this with theRTX 30-seriesandRTX 40-series, where customers often waited days to get a GPU before the official release date. This was especially common during the RTX 30-series release cycle due to GPU shortages caused by the 2020 pandemic.
Waiting days in advance to be one of the first people to buy a new Nvidia GPU isn’t just for bragging rights. Usually, people endure the multiple-day campout to dodge availability issues on launch day and scalpers who take advantage of launch day availability constrictions.
The RTX 50 series will allegedly face similar issues. Scalpers have already been found chargingtwice to three times above MSRPfor RTX 5090s, selling “slots” that these scalpers allegedly have, giving them guaranteed access to purchase the RTX 5090 at launch. In addition, custom RTX 5090 and RTX 5080 models are priced well above MSRP atretailers overseas, suggesting RTX 50-series supply could be scarce at launch. Adding fuel to the fire is another report thatOCUK held less than 10 RTX 5090sin its inventory on the 24.
The RTX 5090 and RTX 5080 officially launch on January 30 at an MSRP of $1,999 and $999, respectively. Reviews of theRTX 5090are out, and RTX 5080 reviews are allegedly coming out on February 29. TheRTX 5070 TiandRTX 5070will launch later in February, with the 5070 Ti allegedly launching on February 20.
Get Tom’s Hardware’s best news and in-depth reviews, straight to your inbox.
Aaron Klotz is a contributing writer for Tom’s Hardware, covering news related to computer hardware such as CPUs, and graphics cards.
