RTX 50-series GPU scalping extends to system integrators — over $3,000 for a RTX 5090

Over one and a half months into Blackwell's lifecycle, Nvidia still hasn't managed to fix its supply-chain woes. Scalpers are still prevalent despite rumors of improved supply, which has frustrated many customers. Beyond customers, this problem also extends to system integrators, as underlined by PowerGPU, which described the numerous challenges they faced in securing RTX 5090 supply. Addressing allegations of price-gouging in a recent video on X, PowerGPU's CEO, Jese Martinez, revealed they, too, are victims of scalping from distributors.

"I want people to know that at PowerGPU, when we’re giving you these prices of these 5090s, it’s not that we’re scalping you, it’s not that we’re raising the prices on these GPUs to the point that we’re making this crazy margin. It’s because we’re literally getting these GPUs sold to us at crazy prices,” explains Martinez.

Nvidia recently claimed it shipped 2X more Blackwell GPUs than Ada Lovelace GPUs five weeks after launch, which is, quite frankly, misleading. What the end customer sees is not some superficial metric from Nvidia but the fact that they have been unable to secure an RTX 50 GPU at MSRP since launch. AMD fared somewhat better than Nvidia with its Radeon RX 9070 series launch, but that's setting the bar relatively low.

This widespread unavailability of GPUs has negatively affected the reputation of system integrators, who've been accused of exorbitant pricing. PowerGPU's CEO revealed that even system integrators, let alone individuals, are being scalped through their distribution channels.

The company endured a two-to-three-week wait for the first RTX 5090 batch, and supply has since remained scarce. In fact, a recent inventory update shot reveals 70 or so RX 9070 series GPUs piled up versus one—just one RTX 5090 unit on Nvidia's end.

It is further explained that PowerGPU is being offered entry-level to mid-range RTX 5090 models for over $3,000. Distributors offer high-end ROG Astral models in bundles to system integrators, which results in higher costs for the end consumer. Apart from the exotic design and cooling, purchasing a premium model this generation might make sense for safety considerations. Asus' ROG Astral cards can provide per-pin current measurements, a feature missing from Nvidia's reference design.

"I feel horrible. I just feel gross. Like, literally, my whole team, we all feel just feel disgusted when we see these prices," Jese remarked.

It's a sad situation all around, and this is further exacerbated by the fact that last-gen supply already started to deplete as early as last October. A quick "RTX 4090 buy" search will see you return empty-handed. Once again, we're facing pandemic-level pricing, at least for new GPUs. The best alternative might be to hit the used market, with many Ampere and RDNA 2/3 offerings still widely available.