Some GeForce RTX 4080 graphics cards have been spotted sitting on store shelves a day after their release as consumers may be rejecting their price points. In a shocking occurrence, people have posted images showing the latest NVIDIA release still in stock at multiple retail outlets. What is even more surprising is that it’s not just a few cards but seemingly fully stocked shelves and mountainous display piles that are pictured.
Another Nvidia RTX 4080 inventory pile pic.twitter.com/ITEzCkZ96o
— tae kim 🐀 (@firstadopter) November 17, 2022
From pricing to scalping
NVIDIA’s previous Ampere line of graphics cards were largely sold out since their launch but that could easily be attributed to the mining craze of recent years, relentless scalping, and supply chain issues during the pandemic. Once the mining craze ended and the RTX 40 sereies launch neared, inventory for Ampere cards became more available and prices dropped closer to MSRP.
However, a unique turn of events could be in play that is influencing consumers to hold off on purchasing the latest card. Pricing for the GeForce RTX 4080 starts at $1,199 for the Founders Edition with AIB custom cards going for $1,599. According to WccfTech, these prices represent a nearly 50% price increase for the xx80 line over the previous Ampere version that launched at $699 and then $899 for the 12 GB version. Factor in that the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Founders Edition starts at $1,599 and many would question why not just buy it instead, except that it has been sold out since shortly after launch.
Another factor includes, once again, online scalping for the GeForce RTX 4080. NewEgg may be sold out with its manufacturer distributors but it hasn’t stopped other sellers from trying to move some GeForce RTX 4080 at prices just shy of $3,000 (one seller is still trying to unload a refurbished RTX 3080 for the same price point in the image below).
A potential competitor and lower shipped units
It is also probable that some consumers are awaiting the launch of AMD’s Radeon RX 7900 XTX and Radeon RX 7900 XT graphics cards which could potentially trade blows with the GeForce RTX 4080, but for a much lower price of $899. Many could simply be awaiting reviews to be posted showing the performance differences between them. The last bit of info is that NVIDIA is rumored to have only shipped out around 30,000 units for the GeForce RTX 4080 vs the 125,000 (according to Gamer’s Nexus) of the GeForce RTX 4090, which again is still sold out. Despite the lower supply, and generational improvements, 4080 cards are reportedly still sitting on shelves as of yesterday.
NVIDIA 4080 shipment units:
— Hassan Mujtaba (@hms1193) November 19, 2022
🟢30,000
NVIDIA 4090 shipment units:
🟢130,000
Total RTX 40 shipment units:
🟢160,000
NVIDIA's 4090 was pretty much sold out at launch.
Retailers still have 4080 in stock. 😶🌫️😶🌫️