Can the GeForce RTX 3080 launch get any worse? GIGABYTE and Newegg have proven that it definitely can.
Users on r/NVIDIA have been fuming and expressing their frustration after missing out on the manufacturer’s highly anticipated AORUS GeForce RTX 3080 MASTER 10G model, which managed to sell out in less than 10 minutes after going live on Newegg.
What happened is that a community manager posted an early link so prospective buyers could try getting one the second the GPU went live (October 2, 6:00 p.m. PST), but when the floodgates opened, the link turned out to be a dud. A working link was later posted, but by then, all of the AORUS GeForce RTX 3080 MASTER 10G cards were gone.
“Sorry guys this was a mess of a launch with a lot of last minute poor communication between us and Newegg,” wrote GBT_Brian, GIGABYTE’s community manager. “I was notified a minute before ‘launch’ that the link they gave us was broken and did not work.”
“I wish there was a better way we could have done this ,I had no control of the situation other than the information that was given to me. I hope you’ll understand, I totally understand your frustrations and being upset with us. Trust me, I am equally frustrated and upset with the situation.”
Despite the apology, users have begun attacking the company for what some are calling a “scummy” move. “So you posted a link that didn’t work, there were no links on Newegg to even link to the product, and then by the time you updated the link, it was sold out?,” noted one user. “I’m sorry, what the absolute f*ck.”
“HAHAHA, do an API scrape if you still can, bois,” teased another. “They had….wait for it….THIRTY SIX CARDS.”
Some users are so mad that they have even threatened GIGABYTE employees. “If you’re personally harassing and threatening Brian, you’re not welcomed here and you’ll be banned,” warned a moderator.
GIGABYTE says Newegg will have more GeForce RTX 3080 cards on October 9 at 12:00 a.m. PST/PDT, but it isn’t clear whether these will include AORUS models.
The manufacturer did reveal that the AORUS GeForce RTX 3080 MASTER ($849.99) and GeForce RTX 3080 VISION OC ($769.99) have TGP ratings of 380 W and 370 W, respectively.