{"id":1218121,"date":"2025-02-20T13:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-02-20T18:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.prime-wow.com\/?p=1218121"},"modified":"2025-02-20T13:00:00","modified_gmt":"2025-02-20T18:00:00","slug":"how-to-get-your-hands-on-one-of-nvidias-new-graphics-cards","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.prime-wow.com\/?p=1218121","title":{"rendered":"How to Get Your Hands on One of Nvidia’s New Graphics Cards"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

We may earn a commission from links on this page.<\/p>\n

Soon after Nvidia’s new RTX 5080 and 5090 gaming GPUs went up for sale at the end of January, they sold out pretty quickly\u2014which shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone who has tried to buy one of the company’s graphics cards before.<\/p>\n

According to PC parts seller Newegg<\/u><\/a>, the company\u2019s stock sold out \u201cwithin minutes,\u201d and none of the big-name retailers I\u2019ve checked today have cards available. While that might sound like a success on Nvidia\u2019s part, consumers<\/u><\/a> and reviewers<\/u><\/a> alike are responding to the short supply with ire, accusing Nvidia of a \u201cpaper launch,\u201d a term for when a company only releases enough units to say that a product released on schedule, without actually making it readily available.<\/p>\n

Starting at $999 for the 5080, these products were always going to be for a premium market, but buying them now can mean going through resellers<\/u><\/a>, which could cost you twice as much and means supporting the same scalpers that make stock so hard to find in the first place.<\/p>\n

Luckily, there are still a few steps you can take to get a new Nvidia graphics card through official means, although it will take some trial and error. But with enough diligence, you can be sure to get in line for a new card as soon as stock opens up.<\/p>\n

Get “Verified Priority Access”<\/h2>\n

On Feb. 19, Nvidia brought back a 2022 program introduced to help gamers get their hands on an RTX 4090, but now for the 50-series. Called “verified priority access<\/a>,” think of it as getting in line for a chance to buy a new GPU.<\/p>\n

Essentially, you fill out a form<\/a> on Nvidia’s website, after which Nvidia will check how long you’ve had an Nvidia account (only those created before Jan. 30 at 6 AM PST are eligible), ask whether you’d prefer an RTX 5080 or RTX 5090, and then use an algorithm to check your usage of Nvidia’s apps to see whether you’re a genuine customer or a scalper. As someone who tends to only use the Nvidia app to download new drivers, I am curious what it would have to say about me, although Nvidia’s keeping mum about exactly how it’ll arrive at its decisions.<\/p>\n

If the company decides you’re legit, it’ll then verify you and put you on a list to potentially get an invite to purchase one of its GPUs via email. This will only work for a “limited number of verified GeForce gamers & creators,” and only in the U.S., but if that sounds like you, it’s worth filling out the form just in case\u2014it’s completely free to do so.<\/p>\n

Nvidia says it’ll start sending out invites to buy GPUs through this program starting next week. Again, being verified doesn’t guarantee you’ll get a card, but it does put you in the running for one.<\/p>\n

Sign up for notifications<\/h2>\n
\n
\n \"Best\n <\/div>\n
\n <\/span>
\n Credit: Best Buy<\/span>\n <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

It\u2019s boring, I know, but major retailers including Newegg<\/u><\/a>, Best Buy<\/u><\/a>, Amazon<\/u><\/a>, and B&H<\/u><\/a> offer the opportunity to sign up for stock notifications when a product is in limited supply. (You\u2019ll usually see this to the right of or underneath a grayed out buy button on the product page.) These will often be incorporated into a wish list feature, so you can quickly check in on all of your desired products and keep track of them\u2014useful if you have a specific PC build in mind.<\/p>\n

Try visiting your local Microcenter<\/h2>\n

Microcenter is a popular electronics store that sets itself apart by offering the majority of its goods only in-store. Currently, its stock is as sold out as everyone else\u2019s, although a big banner at the top of the store\u2019s website<\/u><\/a> says it\u2019s working hard to restock as soon as possible.<\/p>\n

Shopping at your local Microcenter drastically reduces your competition: Rather than having to compete with the entire world, you only have to compete with your local community. Even better, you can still look products up online to ensure stock is available before making the trek to the brick-and-mortar location. Simply visit the product page, input your store (assuming your cookies don\u2019t tip off your location for you), and you\u2019ll know before visiting whether your visit will be fruitful. Some products will also let you reserve a unit for in-store pickup before arriving, although for new GPUs, Microcenter is more likely to take a first-come, first-served mentality.<\/p>\n

Follow the right social media accounts<\/h2>\n

Getting notifications when a product comes into stock is well and good, but ideally, you\u2019re getting prepped to click the \u201cbuy\u201d button well before it\u2019s even available. That\u2019s where industry insiders come into account.<\/p>\n

These are social media users who, through protected sources, sometimes know when sales happen before they go live. There are entire publications and newsletters<\/u><\/a> dedicated to this, although you sometimes have to use your best judgment when knowing who to believe.<\/p>\n

My favorite account for this purpose, personally, is @Wario64 on X<\/u><\/a> and Bluesky<\/u><\/a>. Down-to-earth with a good (but not overbearing) sense of humor, they haven\u2019t let me down yet. In-Stock-Alerts-US<\/u><\/a> has also proven reliable in the past, as has journalist Matt Swider<\/u><\/a>. Unfortunately, many accounts that have been useful in the past have since stopped updating.<\/p>\n

Alternatively, you can also use a stock tracking website like NowInStock.net<\/u><\/a> or TrackaLacker<\/u><\/a> to track stock across various storefronts.<\/p>\n

Avoid resellers whenever possible<\/h2>\n

Going through the above process might seem annoying, but trust me, buying through a reseller is only going to make things worse for everyone. Yes, eBay is where you\u2019ll find the most stock, but it\u2019s also going to cost you way more than going through official sources, and there\u2019s no guarantee that you\u2019ll end up getting the real deal, or a GPU that hasn\u2019t been used.<\/p>\n

That said, when it comes to GPUs, Amazon can be as bad as eBay. Third-party sellers are abundant there, and it can be easy to confuse a legit seller with one that’s a little more dubious. If you want to go through Amazon, be sure to check the \u201cSold by\u201d tag underneath the buy button before you add anything to your cart. That will tell you who you’re actually buying the product from.<\/p>\n

Just buy a pre-built PC<\/h2>\n
\n
\n \"Maingear\n <\/div>\n
\n <\/span>
\n Credit: Maingear<\/span>\n <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

It might sound like sacrilege to a hardcore PC builder, but if you\u2019re looking to get your hands on a new GPU as soon as possible, it can be easier to bite the bullet and go with a pre-built model. That\u2019s because manufacturers like Maingear<\/u><\/a> and Cyberpower<\/u><\/a> often get special stock earmarked for them, and because their PCs are customizable, more expensive than a GPU alone, and are just all-around harder to stack in a warehouse somewhere, they\u2019re less attractive to scalpers.<\/p>\n

You\u2019ll still pay a premium with this route, but you\u2019ll get a whole PC alongside your GPU, plus save yourself the labor of construction. And if you price it right, you might actually still save money over what you\u2019d pay for a resold card alone.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Soon after Nvidia’s new RTX 5080 and 5090 gaming GPUs went up for sale at the end of January, they sold out pretty quickly\u2014which shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1218122,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[91,110],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1218121","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-lifehacker","category-unfiltered-rss"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.prime-wow.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1218121","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.prime-wow.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.prime-wow.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.prime-wow.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.prime-wow.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1218121"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.prime-wow.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1218121\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.prime-wow.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1218122"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.prime-wow.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1218121"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.prime-wow.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1218121"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.prime-wow.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1218121"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}