NVIDIA’s latest GeForce RTX 50 series is facing significant challenges due to tight profit margins, putting pressure on its board partners.
The issue is especially clear with the RTX 5090, as there were no MSRP (Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price) models available for review, except for the Founders Edition.
Typically, NVIDIA encourages its board partners to release at least one model at MSRP, but this time, it appears that no MSRP cards were ready for review.
Some industry insiders speculate that the low profit margins, particularly due to the rising cost of GDDR7 memory, are to blame.
While NVIDIA offers bundled deals for memory that are more affordable, board partners have to buy GDDR7 memory independently, often at higher prices.
Additionally, NVIDIA’s Founders Edition cards have historically received priority in media coverage, further squeezing board partners who must compete with NVIDIA’s in-house designs.
The company has even created a special production run for press samples, which may have limited availability for custom variants.
These tight margins are also affecting the pricing of custom GeForce RTX 5080 and RTX 5090 models, which are expected to be aimed at gamers with deep pockets.
As the market sees increasing pressure from NVIDIA’s pricing strategies, board partners are finding it difficult to maintain profitability while competing with the company’s own offerings.
The situation highlights the growing tension between NVIDIA and its partners as the company continues to dominate the GPU market.
