Nvidia RTX 5090 Campers Brave January Cold Despite Retailer Warnings

The excitement for the latest generation of graphics cards is reaching a fever pitch with the impending release of Nvidia's RTX 5090 and RTX 5080 on January 30. Our RTX 5090 review hailed it as "the fastest graphics card on the consumer market," amplifying the anticipation around these high-end GPUs. Priced at $2,000 for the RTX 5090 and $1,000 for the RTX 5080, these cards are not for the budget-conscious, yet the interest remains incredibly high. However, rumors suggest that stock will be extremely limited, with one UK retailer reportedly having "single digit" stock for the RTX 5090.

The scarcity of stock has led to eager fans camping outside Micro Center's Tustin location in California days before the launch. Images circulating on Reddit and the Unofficial Micro Center Discord channel show tents pitched outside the store, sparking speculation about whether these campers are enthusiasts or scalpers aiming to profit from the low stock. One camper, identified on Reddit as part of the group in the larger grey tent, stated, "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 also noted that the atmosphere among the campers is "very nice and respectful." According to the Micro Center Unofficial Discord channel, there are now up to 10 tents and about 24 people waiting for the GPU launch.

In preparation for the launch, Micro Center has outlined its strategy in a YouTube video, explicitly discouraging camping outside in the cold January weather. "We do discourage camping at our locations for the 5090 and 5080," the company stated. Despite this, the tradition of camping for new graphics cards at Micro Center is not new, as seen in YouTuber Austin Evans' documentation during the RTX 3070 launch at the same Tustin location in 2020.

Nvidia GeForce RTX 5090 – Photos

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On launch day, purchases will be confirmed on a first-come-first-serve basis through a voucher system. Those in line won't have a choice in the specific model of GPU they can buy, and customers are limited to purchasing just one card each. While Micro Center discourages camping, they still advise arriving early to avoid disappointment.