Credit: Nvidia
In 2026, prices for Nvidia’s flagship GeForce RTX 5090 graphics card have already set a record. Currently, only the Founders Edition version from Nvidia itself can be found at the recommended retail price in the company’s online store—and that’s only if the company releases a new batch for Verified Priority Access members.
Third-party versions of this flagship graphics card are available only at retailers starting at $2,499, and only in brick-and-mortar stores for in-store pickup. Other retailers have already moved prices for the Nvidia GeForce RTX 5090 to the $3,000 to $4,000 range.
The main reason is the explosive rise in memory prices. According to Newsis sources, GPU production costs, including memory alone, have increased by 80%. According to CTEE, contract prices for DRAM in Q3 2025 increased by 171.8% compared to the same period in 2024. Counterpoint Research predicts further growth: +30% in Q4 2025 and another +20% in early 2026—meaning a doubling of prices by mid-year. Memory manufacturers—Samsung, SK hynix, and Micron—are shifting capacity to high-margin HBM memory for AI accelerators, creating a shortage of GDDR7 memory for consumer graphics cards.
There have been rumors that Nvidia intends to raise the price of the RTX 5090 to $5,000, but this seems unlikely – increases in the recommended retail price are rare, and such measures are preceded by leaks from partners.