Rumors of third-party RTX 5080 graphics card prices rising above Nvidia’s MSRP, and I’m afraid entry-level models will sell out in no time
- A Finnish retailer has aired price tags for Gigabyte’s RTX 5080 models
- Only the WindForce variant is listed on the recommended retail price
- The six other RTX 5080 boards shown are 15% to 35% more expensive
Nvidia’s RTX 5080 has a suggested retail price of $999 in the US – and in line with other regions – which was a pleasant surprise, but it looks like some gamers’ worst fears could come true if third-party prices party boards that just popped up are all you can do.
This information comes from a Finnish retailer, Proshop, which has taken the plunge and listed Gigabyte’s RTX 5080 models with prices, and only one graphics card is set at the suggested retail price in Finland (€1,229) out of a total of seven boards.
If VideoCardz According to reports, only the Gigabyte WindForce model costs € 1,229, while the other six variants are a lot more expensive.
Even the most affordable of these non-WindForce offerings, the Gaming OC and Aero OC, both cost €1,419, which is a significant premium over the standard graphics card.
The Aorus variants are a lot more expensive, with the most expensive version, the Aorus Xtreme WaterForce, costing € 1,669.
What this means is that Gigabyte has one RTX 5080 board, the WindForce, at MSRP, and the other flavors are between 15% and 35% more expensive. Obviously we have to be very careful with these prices, in case they turn out to be wrong somehow, or are placeholders, but we are very close to release now (and they sound plausible).
Analysis: An ominous sign – but don’t panic yet
As I noted at the outset, this was the concern I – and many others – expressed when Nvidia announced pricing for the RTX 5080.
On the one hand, it was great to see that the RTX 5080 had an MSRP of $999, while rumors had suggested that Nvidia could sell it for $1,200 in the US (and commensurately elsewhere), or perhaps quite a bit more than that. Especially considering that the price of the RTX 5090 was increased.
On the other hand, the biggest concern was that most third-party models wouldn’t reach the MSRP, and that scenario is exactly what seems to be playing out with Gigabytes RTX 5080 graphics cards – at least if Proshop’s information is correct. And maybe that’s not the case, as already mentioned, so we shouldn’t jump to conclusions yet.
This remains just an ominous hint at this point, although even if it’s true, there’s a chance that other graphics card manufacturers won’t follow suit and may have more models at the MSRP level. Or rather, their second-tier models above the base level will hopefully not see a 15% increase, but instead show a more modest increase.
If there are very few third-party RTX 5080 models for sale at MSRP (or close to it), then chances are those boards will sell out in no time at launch – and perhaps for quite some time afterward (along with the founders of Nvidia). Edition). In short, the reality of getting an RTX 5080 at MSRP is a shaky prospect, but there’s still hope that this scenario won’t come to pass.