Nvidia price shock as graphics card costs skyrocket

HARDWARE NEWS manhkbrady - 15-May-2025, 8:30 am

Consumers—especially gamers and creatives—have just been hit with bad news: Nvidia has officially announced a 10–15% price increase across its entire GPU lineup. Notably, the highly awaited RTX 5090 will now start at a staggering $2,500.

This price adjustment comes as Nvidia grapples with mounting financial pressure and rising production costs. According to a report by Digitimes, the company reported a loss of $5.5 billion in the previous fiscal quarter. The underlying cause is believed to stem from recent U.S. policy shifts—including new tariffs and export bans—that have significantly hurt hardware manufacturers. Nvidia follows in the footsteps of Microsoft, which recently raised the price of its Xbox Series X and Series S consoles, making them less accessible to mainstream users.

One of Nvidia’s main revenue drivers is its AI chips, but these products have recently been affected by export bans to China, one of its key markets. As a result, chips like the H20 have underperformed in sales. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang has been shuttling between the U.S. and China, even holding talks with President Donald Trump in an attempt to ease these restrictions. Meanwhile, Nvidia’s partial relocation of GPU production to the U.S. has led to significantly higher operational and manufacturing costs compared to producing in Taiwan.

Render of the RTX Pro 6000 Blackwell workstation. Black design with ridged surfaces and Nvidia logo.

In response to falling revenue and soaring expenses, Nvidia has had no choice but to adjust its pricing. The ASUS RTX 5090 will see a 10% price jump, other Blackwell GPUs will increase by 5–10%, and specialized AI GPUs like the H200 and B200 will see the steepest hikes—nearly 15%.

This price surge will likely intensify the already strained GPU market, which continues to face scarcity and inflated resale pricing—even with the newly released Blackwell lineup. Nevertheless, Nvidia remains optimistic, projecting strong global demand for AI GPUs (even excluding China), and expects to post a robust profit report by the end of the month, according to its financial forecast.

While the RTX 5090 sets a new benchmark for ultimate performance, bleeding-edge power isn't the only option on the table. The RTX 5080 delivers incredible next-gen capabilities, lightning-fast ray tracing, and DLSS 4 support—all at a more accessible price point. Utilize our comparator to discover the best deals on the GeForce RTX 5080 GPU today.