The Nvidia RTX 4080 seemingly isn’t the popular kid at GPU school, as it’s still widely available at retailers. While the gaming PC scene is used to ‘out of stock’ signs and empty virtual shelves, the Lovelace card’s lackluster sales could be linked to the card’s unfavourable price.
If you frequent the likes of Amazon and Newegg, you’ve probably already noticed an abundance of RTX 4080 stock. Sure, the Founder’s Edition model is nowhere to be found, but variants by Asus, MSI, Zotac, and more are littered throughout storefronts. Of course, those options cost significantly more than the already pricey FE release, as the cheapest available option right now sits at $150 USD more.
We’re not the only ones to notice Nvidia’s RTX 4080 stock scenario, as reports are surfacing worldwide. Earlier this week, OC3D delved into the UK’s situation and found that every variant was still available at retailers. In addition, Hardware Canucks shared insight into Canada’s graphics card supply, while stating that the 4080 is the first card not to immediately sell out in over two years.
In our Nvidia RTX 4080 review, we expressed our sympathy for the best graphics card contender, as it’s a killer 4K GPU with a grisly price. Worse still, AMD says its top RDNA 3 card, the Radeon RX 7900 XTX, is designed to rival the Lovelace card, as it allegedly offers a similar experience for $200 less.
It’s clear to see that Nvidia has shot itself in the foot when it comes to the RTX 4080’s price. However, we are heading into a global recession, so interest in building the best gaming PC could dwindle over the next few years. With any luck, the green team will take on board feedback by the time the RTX 4070 Ti rolls into action, both in terms of price and balanced performance.