Nvidia RTX 5090 Campers Brave January Cold Despite Retailer Warnings

The excitement surrounding the launch of Nvidia's new GPU generation, featuring the RTX 5090 and RTX 5080, is palpable as we approach the release date of January 30. Our RTX 5090 review hailed it as "the fastest graphics card on the consumer market," fueling the anticipation among gaming enthusiasts. With the RTX 5090 priced at $2,000 and the RTX 5080 at $1,000, these high-end graphics cards come with a premium price tag that hasn't dampened consumer interest. However, rumors suggest that stock will be extremely limited, with a UK retailer claiming to have only "single digit" stock for the RTX 5090.

The fervor has led to eager fans camping outside Micro Center's Tustin location in California, days before the launch. Images of tents and campers have surfaced on Reddit and the Unofficial Micro Center Discord channel, raising concerns that some might be scalpers looking to profit from the anticipated low stock. A Reddit thread features a camper from the larger grey tent, who clarified, "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 the atmosphere among the campers is "very nice and respectful." According to the Micro Center Unofficial Discord channel, there are now up to 10 tents and around 24 people waiting for the GPU launch.

In preparation for the launch, Micro Center released a YouTube video outlining their strategy for the RTX 5090 and 5080, explicitly discouraging camping due to the cold January weather. "We do discourage camping at our locations for the 5090 and 5080," the company stated.

Nvidia GeForce RTX 5090 – Photos

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Camping outside for new graphics cards at Micro Center is not a new phenomenon, as documented by YouTuber Austin Evans during the RTX 3070 launch at the same Tustin location in 2020. Micro Center will use a voucher system to confirm purchases on a first-come-first-serve basis, with no choice in the specific model of GPU available to those in line. Customers are limited to purchasing one card each, and despite discouraging camping, Micro Center advises arriving early to avoid disappointment.