We anticipated that stock would be scarce, and indeed, it turned out to be true.

Whether you were aiming to secure the new RTX 5090 Founders Edition card or the RTX 5080, you likely faced disappointment as both models sold out in under five minutes during their launch.

On the morning of the launch, PC Gamer’s team, including myself, gathered at 6 AM PT (2 PM UK time), refreshing links in a desperate bid to add the new graphics cards to our online carts.

My attempt at a Best Buy queue lasted mere minutes before I was kicked out with an error message. Other sites like Newegg and Walmart displayed similar issues, with cards disappearing almost as quickly as they appeared. Only one PNY RTX 5080 was found on Walmart, but it vanished pretty quickly as well.

Pricing was also surprising, as some RTX 5080 listings approached the MSRP of the RTX 5090, leading to speculation about listing inaccuracies.

The same pattern was seen in the UK, with retailers’ sites crashing and stock status updates quickly proving misleading. By 6:05 AM PT, we concluded that anyone who could secure a card had done so, with many reporting disappointments.

In summary, the launch was definitely a win for Nvidia and retailers, as they cleared inventory swiftly. However, for consumers eager to upgrade to the new RTX Blackwell GPUs, this likely means a longer wait until the next stock arrives. In the meantime, avoid eBay or similar platforms, which are notorious for resellers inflating prices on popular items.