Highlights
- The Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090 graphics card, after being priced above its original MSRP for months, now has a lower MSRP below $1,899, making it more affordable for consumers.
- Export restrictions placed by the US government on certain semiconductor exports, including the RTX 4090, caused the price of the graphics card to increase globally.
- While the price drop is a relief, the current price of the RTX 4090 is still higher than its original launch price, but it remains the best graphics card available.
After months of high prices that have exceeded its initial retail price, the Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090 graphics card has seen its MSRP go below $1,899, just a few hundred dollars above its initial launch price. While it was launched in late 2022, the flagship Nvidia GPU has been a target of both scalpers and the US government for different reasons.
In November 2023, the US government placed some restrictions on certain international semiconductor exports, which included the RTX 4090, and cited national security concerns as the reason for the restrictions. These restrictions prevent exports to China, Saudi Arabia, Vietnam, and the United Arab Emirates. To get around these export restrictions placed by the Biden administration, Nvidia has opted to manufacture a separate product, the RTX 4090D, exclusively in China. Despite Nvidia stating that the export restrictions would not be meaningful enough to impact its bottom line in the short term, the restrictions caused the price of the RTX 4090 to spike globally.
Nvidia RTX 4080 SUPER Has Already Sold Out
Nvidia's new RTX 4080 SUPER graphics card, a high-end option at a more reasonable price, quickly sells out following its recent launch.
The RTX 4090 Is Once Again Available for Under $2,000
Thankfully for consumers, the ridiculous prices on the RTX 4090 appear to be easing up in some regions. According to data from the Germany-based 3DCenter, which was translated by Wccftech, the price of the RTX 4090 in Europe slid down to €1,850 in February. By comparison, the price of the RTX 4090 slid down to a similar margin in the US. At the time of writing, the cheapest RTX 4090 available for sale was found on Amazon, as the Asus TUF Gaming GeForce RTX 4090 OC Edition model was retailing for $1,819. The same card was selling for a slightly higher price on Newegg, which was $1,849 after using the promo code "VGAEXCAB232" at checkout to get $50 off the current $1,899 MSRP.
While the price drop is a relief for prospective buyers, the RTX 4090's current price tag is still over $200 above the $1,599 MSRP that the RTX 4090 had during its October 2022 launch. However, some other RTX 4090 GPUS remain closer to $2,000 before taxes and shipping, including some refurbished and open-box models from Gigabyte. Gigabyte recently issued a revision of some RTX 4080 and 4090 GPUs to replace models that had cracked PCBs which rendered the cards inoperable.
Even though it has a high price tag, the features and sheer power of Nvidia's flagship GPU make it the best graphics card that money can buy. It remains to be seen if other RTX 4090 manufacturers will follow suit and give PC gamers a break when it comes to buying high-end hardware.
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NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Founders Edition
$2450 $2600 Save $150NVIDIA's top-of-the-line GPU, the GeForce RTX 4090 Founders Edition, contains 16,384 CUDA Cores. It can support up to 8K gaming and allows for actual, smooth ray-tracing gameplay. The Founders Edition card is also an excellent GPU variant in terms of cooling, VRMs, and value.
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ASUS ROG Strix GeForce RTX 4090 OC Edition
$2625 $2750 Save $125The ASUS ROG Strix GeForce RTX 4090 OC Edition may be one of its largest GPUs ever, but the patented design supports the most potent overclocking potential out of its peers.
With a vapor chamber in tow, the ROG Strix comes in both black and white and does not disappoint in either looks or power. It is easily the most powerful 4090 out there, clocking at a stable 3120 MHz in Game ZXC's in-house testing. -
ZOTAC GeForce RTX 4090 Trinity OC Edition
The ZOTAC GeForce RTX 4090 Trinity OC Edition is an excellent, well-priced, and balanced offering that offers a relatively limited overclock over stock units but throws in a tri-fan cooling system that runs cooler than the founder's edition while costing exactly the same in terms of MSRP with RGB lighting thrown into the mix.
