Nvidia RTX 5090 Campers Brave January Cold Despite Retailer Warnings

The excitement for the new generation of GPUs is palpable as Nvidia gears up to launch the RTX 5090 and RTX 5080 on January 30. Our RTX 5090 review hailed it as "the fastest graphics card on the consumer market," fueling the frenzy around these high-end graphics cards. Priced at $2,000 for the RTX 5090 and $1,000 for the RTX 5080, these cards are not budget-friendly, yet the demand remains sky-high. Rumors suggest that stock will be extremely limited, with a UK retailer claiming they only have “single digit” stock for the RTX 5090.

In anticipation of the launch, eager enthusiasts have started camping outside Micro Center's Tustin location in California, days in advance. Images circulating on Reddit and the Unofficial Micro Center Discord channel show tents set up outside the store, sparking speculation that some might be scalpers looking to profit from the limited stock. A Reddit thread features a camper clarifying 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 everyone at the camp is "very nice and respectful." According to the Micro Center Unofficial Discord channel, there are now up to 10 tents with around 24 people waiting for the launch.

Micro Center has shared its launch strategy for the RTX 5090 and 5080 in a YouTube video, explicitly discouraging camping due to 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 GPU releases at Micro Center is well-documented, as seen in YouTuber Austin Evans' coverage of the RTX 3070 launch at the same Tustin location in 2020.

Nvidia GeForce RTX 5090 – Photos

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Purchases at the launch will be managed 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 purchase, and only one card can be bought per customer. Although Micro Center discourages camping, they advise arriving early to avoid disappointment.