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Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →The October 2024 warning that GeForce RTX 4090 and RTX 4080 SUPER inventory might dry up was a forward-looking report, not an NVIDIA confirmation. HotHardware said RTX 4080 SUPER production was apparently expected to end that month, with supply potentially running out by November. NVIDIA later announced the RTX 50 Series in January 2025, but the available sources do not verify that specific production schedule or establish stock and prices today.
What the October 2024 report actually said
HotHardware’s Thiago Trevisan published the forecast on October 4, 2024, before NVIDIA had announced the RTX 50 generation. The report described the RTX 4080 SUPER as apparently nearing the end of production in October, with inventory possibly exhausted by November. That wording matters: the report did not quote an official NVIDIA confirmation of the production end or supply deadline. Its inventory story is evidence of what was reported at the time, not proof that every retailer ran out on that schedule.
The concern was that buyers considering high-end RTX 40 cards could face dwindling choice as NVIDIA prepared its next generation. HotHardware also noted the RTX 4080 SUPER’s $999 launch price against the earlier RTX 4080’s $1,199 launch price; those are historical launch figures, not current offers.
What happened with the RTX 50 launch
NVIDIA announced the GeForce RTX 50 Series for desktop and laptop PCs on January 6, 2025. Jensen Huang, NVIDIA’s founder and CEO, said, “Blackwell, the engine of AI, has arrived for PC gamers, developers and creatives,” in the announcement.
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NVIDIA subsequently announced that the RTX 5090 and RTX 5080 would be available January 30, 2025, with the RTX 5070 Ti and RTX 5070 scheduled for February. The figures below are NVIDIA’s announced launch starting prices, not current market prices.
| GPU | Announced availability | Launch starting price |
|---|---|---|
| GeForce RTX 5090 | January 30, 2025 | $1,999 |
| GeForce RTX 5080 | January 30, 2025 | $999 |
| GeForce RTX 5070 Ti | February 2025 | $749 |
| GeForce RTX 5070 | February 2025 | $549 |
The availability and prices are from NVIDIA’s January 2025 RTX 5090 and RTX 5080 launch post. The post named ASUS, Colorful, Gainward, GALAX, GIGABYTE, INNO3D, KFA2, MSI, Palit, PNY and ZOTAC as add-in-card providers. It also said Founders Edition cards were available in limited quantities through Best Buy. That describes launch-era distribution, not present-day stock or a current list of sellers.
How to interpret NVIDIA’s RTX 5090 performance claim
NVIDIA said the RTX 5090 could deliver up to 2x the performance of the RTX 4090, attributing the claim to Blackwell architecture innovations and DLSS 4. “Up to” and that technology context are important: this is NVIDIA’s vendor claim, not an independent benchmark, and it does not establish a twofold gain in every game or workload. The January 2025 launch post is the source for the comparison.
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What buyers can conclude now
The original shortage warning should be read as a dated forecast that preceded the RTX 50 announcement. The later launch confirms that the next generation arrived, but it does not independently validate the reported October production end or November 2024 inventory exhaustion. Nor do the cited sources establish October 2026 stock, regional availability or street prices for the RTX 4090 or RTX 4080 SUPER. Anyone shopping now needs to check current retailer listings in their region rather than rely on launch-era availability or prices.
For historical context, NVIDIA introduced the RTX 40 Series in its September 2022 product announcement; the RTX 4080 SUPER pricing comparison above comes from HotHardware’s 2024 report.
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Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
