Another $300 Hit Pushes RTX 5090 Toward the Ultra-Luxury Tier
NVIDIA has reportedly imposed a fresh RTX 5090 price increase on its board partners, citing sharply higher VRAM procurement costs. According to Board Channels reports, the company has added roughly USD 300 (approx. RM1,380) to the cost of GeForce RTX 5090 and RTX 5090D V2 GPUs sold to add-in-card (AIC) manufacturers. Importantly, NVIDIA has not revised the official graphics card MSRP, but the upstream hit leaves partners little choice except to pass costs downstream. The RTX 5090 already launched at USD 1,999 (approx. RM9,200), one of the steepest tags ever attached to a consumer graphics card. Even before the latest memory-driven hike, many custom models were selling close to double that figure due to demand and limited supply. With this additional charge layered on top, the effective flagship GPU pricing trajectory is moving further away from mainstream enthusiasts and deep into boutique territory.
VRAM Shortage and GDDR7 Costs: Why Memory Is Driving Prices Up
The core driver behind the RTX 5090 price increase is a worsening GPU memory shortage, especially for cutting-edge GDDR7 modules. NVIDIA has reportedly confirmed to partners that rising GDDR7 prices forced the change, with the latest adjustment taking effect on May 13. The RTX 5090 is particularly exposed because it carries 32GB of GDDR7, more than any other RTX 50-series model and double the capacity of the RTX 5080. That higher bill of materials magnifies every incremental cost bump in VRAM. As procurement costs surge, NVIDIA is passing the burden to board partners rather than absorbing it, tightening margins across the channel. While reports suggest that other RTX 50-series cards have not yet seen similar increases, the trend in memory pricing raises the risk that additional models could be affected if supply remains tight.
From Partners to Consumers: How Higher Costs Become Higher MSRPs
Although NVIDIA’s official graphics card MSRP for the RTX 5090 has not been officially revised, the cost structure behind the scenes tells a different story. Board partners now pay more for both the GPU silicon and the GDDR7 memory, shrinking their profit margins on each card. To remain viable, AICs are expected to raise their own list prices, which then filter through distributors and retailers. In some markets, this dynamic is already visible: one retailer lists its most affordable RTX 5090 at 83% above NVIDIA’s stated MSRP, underscoring how far flagship GPU pricing has drifted from launch guidelines. With another USD 300 (approx. RM1,380) added to partner costs, analysts expect RTX 5090 street prices to climb further, pushing many configurations beyond USD 4,000 (approx. RM18,400) and setting the stage for even higher figures as the VRAM crunch persists.
RTX 5090 and 5090D V2: Flagships Squeezed by Memory-Heavy Designs
Both the standard RTX 5090 and the RTX 5090D V2 variant are being hit by the same VRAM-related price pressures. Reports indicate that NVIDIA’s new USD 300 (approx. RM1,380) increase applies to both models, reflecting their shared reliance on large pools of GDDR7. The RTX 5090’s 32GB configuration significantly raises its memory footprint compared to other RTX 50-series cards, concentrating cost risk in the very top tier of the product stack. Early in its lifecycle, the card was already selling near USD 3,000 (approx. RM13,800) in some channels, driven by high-end demand and limited availability. Now, expectations are that RTX 5090 pricing will consistently start above USD 4,000 (approx. RM18,400), with some custom designs potentially reaching USD 4,500–USD 5,000 (approx. RM20,700–RM23,000). This trajectory reshapes what enthusiasts can expect from future halo GPUs, where memory configurations may increasingly dictate affordability.
What the VRAM Crunch Reveals About GPU Supply Chain Fragility
The RTX 5090’s rapid escalation from an already premium USD 1,999 (approx. RM9,200) launch price to street prices around USD 4,000 (approx. RM18,400) highlights how vulnerable high-end GPU manufacturing is to component shocks. GDDR7 is at the heart of this problem: as a new, high-performance memory standard, its production is more limited, and any disruption or sudden demand surge can ripple quickly through costs. Because the RTX 5090 uses more VRAM than other RTX 50-series GPUs, it became the first and hardest hit. But if memory procurement costs continue to climb, midrange and upper-midrange cards could follow, reshaping the entire graphics card MSRP landscape. For system builders and consumers, the current “RAMpocalypse” era underscores the risk of relying on a narrow set of advanced components—and suggests that future flagship GPU pricing will hinge as much on memory supply as on silicon innovation.