The highly anticipated NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 and RTX 5080 Founders Edition graphics cards were reportedly sold out before their official launch on January 30, 2025. According to PC Games Hardware (source), customers had already secured these GPUs prior to the official 3 PM CET release time, with some purchases occurring as early as 2:18 PM.
How Did the RTX 5090 Sell Out Before Launch?
The issue appears to have stemmed from pre-release purchase links being leaked ahead of time. These links allowed certain buyers to gain an unfair advantage, effectively purchasing the graphics cards before they were officially available to the general public.
As confirmed by PC Games Hardware, invoices from the retailer Proshop revealed that some customers completed purchases nearly an hour before NVIDIA’s official launch time. This strongly suggests that individuals or groups had access to exclusive checkout links that were not meant to be public yet.
Discord Bots and Automated Purchases
Further investigation by PC Games Hardware uncovered that members of a German Discord server utilized a bot called “Nvidia KSB Test v1.1” to automate purchases. This bot, which required a specific license available through the Discord group, allowed users to target and instantly buy NVIDIA’s RTX 5090 and 5080 Founders Edition GPUs from Proshop the moment stock became available.
This is not the first time automated bots have interfered with major product launches. The gaming and tech industries frequently struggle with bots designed to bypass queue systems and purchase high-demand products within seconds. In this case, the bot effectively gave certain users a huge advantage over regular buyers, leading to frustration among gamers and PC enthusiasts.
What This Means for Future GPU Launches
The pre-launch sellout of the RTX 5090 and RTX 5080 raises serious concerns about fair access to NVIDIA’s latest graphics cards. Scalping and bot-driven purchases have long plagued GPU launches, and this incident suggests that retailers and manufacturers must implement stronger anti-bot measures to prevent unfair sales practices.
Possible solutions could include:
- Stronger CAPTCHA systems to prevent automated checkouts.
- Two-factor authentication (2FA) for high-demand product purchases.
- Better monitoring of early access links to prevent unauthorized sharing.
- Queue-based checkout systems that limit rapid multiple purchases.
Will You Be Able to Get an RTX 5090?
If you’re still hoping to buy an NVIDIA RTX 5090 Founders Edition, you may need to monitor restocks closely and rely on official announcements. Given how quickly the initial stock disappeared, expect limited availability and high demand for the foreseeable future. Checking multiple retailers and using stock alert services may be your best bet at securing one of these high-performance GPUs.
For more details on the pre-launch sellout of the RTX 5090 and 5080, you can read the original PC Games Hardware article in German here.
Below is an official statement from Proshop.
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