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| GeForce RTX 5080. Nvidia quietly removes the card from its store. |
NVIDIA's GeForce RTX 5080 has mysteriously vanished from the company's official online store, following the earlier disappearance of the flagship RTX 5090, fueling rumors that the graphics card may be discontinued—or about to be replaced by a 24GB variant.
The sub-flagship Blackwell GPU is no longer listed on NVIDIA's marketplace, and its filters have been removed entirely, according to reports from Notebookcheck and Tom's Hardware. The move mirrors the recent removal of the RTX 5090, though NVIDIA has yet to officially confirm the status of either card.
What makes the situation particularly suspicious is that other Blackwell SKUs—namely the RTX 5070 Ti and RTX 5070—remain visible on the store, albeit marked as "Out of Stock." This suggests NVIDIA typically keeps unavailable products listed so consumers can anticipate restocks. The complete removal of both the RTX 5090 and RTX 5080 breaks that pattern entirely.
Street Prices Have Exploded
While the cards may have disappeared from NVIDIA's own store, finding an RTX 5080 at retailers has become an increasingly expensive proposition. A survey of major US retailers including Micro Center, Best Buy, Newegg, and Central Computers found the cheapest available RTX 5080 starting at **$1,979.99**—nearly matching the RTX 5090's original $1,999 launch MSRP.
Tom's Hardware reports that the most affordable in-stock option, the PNY GeForce RTX 5080 ARGB Epic-X RGB OC, now retails for $2,199.99**—a staggering **2.2x over its original $999 MSRP. The card launched in January 2025 at $999, but demand quickly outpaced supply, and ongoing memory shortages have sent prices into the stratosphere.
The 24GB RTX 5080 Rumors
Industry speculation suggests NVIDIA may be winding down production of the standard 16GB RTX 5080 to prepare a 24GB variant as a replacement. Such a card would address one of the biggest consumer complaints about the RTX 5080—its limited VRAM—while potentially serving as a new flagship gaming GPU if the RTX 5090 is indeed being discontinued.
Rumors also indicate NVIDIA may have stopped producing the RTX 5090 to repurpose valuable GB202 silicon for its higher-margin RTX Pro Blackwell lineup, which caters to professional and AI workloads. This aligns with the broader narrative that NVIDIA has increasingly shifted focus toward AI and data center products, where profit margins are substantially higher.
However, a 24GB RTX 5080 would not be a direct replacement for the RTX 5090. The former has roughly half the CUDA cores of the flagship, meaning even a 50% memory increase couldn't close the substantial performance gap between the two cards.
What This Means for Buyers
With stock dwindling rapidly and prices climbing, the RTX 5080 is unlikely to be available at reasonable prices—or possibly at all—by Black Friday. Consumers determined to secure one may have little choice but to act quickly and accept today's elevated prices.
NVIDIA has not publicly commented on the situation, and board partners have shared minimal information about GPU supply. If the rumored RTX 5080 24GB does materialize, it will almost certainly debut at a substantial premium over the original model's $999 launch price.
For now, PC builders face a challenging market: limited supply, soaring prices, and uncertainty about what NVIDIA has planned next.
Source: Notebookcheck | Tom's Hardware