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Best Buy is selling an RTX 5080 for more than the RTX 5090’s MSRP
Best Buy has increased the price of Asus’s ROG Astral RTX 5080 OC graphics card to $2,099, placing it above the $1,999 recommended price of Nvidia’s more powerful RTX 5090. The rise highlights pressure on graphics card pricing as component shortages and higher memory costs affect the PC hardware market.
The card launched at $1,499, meaning Best Buy’s price is 40 per cent higher and more than twice the $999 MSRP of the RTX 5080 Founders Edition. Best Buy is currently the only major US retailer selling an RTX 5080 above the RTX 5090’s MSRP; Asus lists the same model for $1,899, while other RTX 5080s remain cheaper. The increase follows reports that Nvidia may raise GPU prices by 20–30 per cent, amid broader RAM and component price rises.
In short
- Best Buy’s RTX 5080 now costs more than the RTX 5090’s official price.
- The Asus card is 40 per cent above its launch price.
- Memory shortages and component costs may push more GPU prices higher.
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The case for
Higher prices may reflect real supply constraints and rising memory and component costs, while premium models can carry added costs for cooling, factory overclocking and other features. Retailers may argue that prices should respond to demand and costs, and that buyers can choose cheaper RTX 5080 models or wait for supply to improve.
The case against
A price above the RTX 5090’s recommended price makes the RTX 5080 difficult to justify on performance alone and may exploit limited availability. Critics can argue that such mark-ups make high-end computing less accessible, especially when the card launched for substantially less and comparable models remain cheaper.
Explained simply
Graphics cards are specialised computer components used for gaming, video production, and other visually demanding tasks. Nvidia is the dominant designer of these processors, whilst companies like Asus manufacture custom versions with different designs. The RTX 5080 and RTX 5090 are Nvidia's latest high-performance models, with the 5090 being considerably more powerful.
Rising costs for memory and other components have created pricing pressure in the graphics card market. Retailers and manufacturers now sell cards at substantial markups above official suggested prices, amid reports that Nvidia may increase its own prices further. These pricing trends reflect broader supply and cost challenges affecting PC hardware production.