Nvidia RTX 5090 Campers Brave January Cold Despite Retailer Warnings

The excitement surrounding the launch of Nvidia's new GPU generation is palpable, with the RTX 5090 and RTX 5080 set to debut on January 30. Our RTX 5090 review hailed it as "the fastest graphics card on the consumer market," amplifying the anticipation to a fever pitch. Priced at $2,000 for the RTX 5090 and $1,000 for the RTX 5080, these high-end graphics cards come with a hefty price tag that doesn't seem to deter enthusiasts. However, the rumor mill suggests that stock will be incredibly limited, with a UK retailer claiming they have only "single digit" stock for the RTX 5090.

This scarcity has led to eager fans camping outside Micro Center’s Tustin location in California, days ahead of the launch. Photos of tents outside the store have surfaced on Reddit and the Unofficial Micro Center Discord channel, fueling speculation that some of these campers might be scalpers aiming to capitalize on the low stock. A Reddit user from one of the tents clarified their intentions: “Hello everyone, I’m the guy that you guys are talking about in the second tent. And yes, we are buying it for our own use, no trades and no sells. We just don’t want to pay for that extra $ for a gaming card and yes we do have some times on our hands because we run a business. Good luck to everyone who are trying to get one.” They further noted that the atmosphere among the campers was "very nice and respectful." As of now, there are reportedly up to 10 tents and around 24 people waiting at the Tustin location, according to users on the Micro Center Unofficial Discord channel.

In a pre-launch YouTube video, Micro Center outlined its strategy for the RTX 5090 and 5080 release, explicitly discouraging camping: “We do discourage camping at our locations for the 5090 and 5080," the company stated. Despite this, the practice is not new; YouTuber Austin Evans captured a similar scene at the same Tustin location during the RTX 3070 launch back in 2020.

Nvidia GeForce RTX 5090 – Photos

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Purchases will be managed on a first-come-first-serve basis through a voucher system, with no choice in the specific GPU model available to those in line. Micro Center has set a limit of one card per customer and, while discouraging camping, advises early arrivals to avoid disappointment.