The RTX 5090 Is Reportedly Dead. Gamers, You Were Never the Target Anyway

Quick disclaimer before anyone loses their mind: this is a leak, not an announcement. Nvidia hasn't confirmed it. Tom's Hardware asked for comment and got nothing, which is normal, since Nvidia doesn't usually comment on rumours. Salt shaker ready.

But it's a believable leak, and it says a lot about where gamers sit on Nvidia's priority list.

What's being reported

Two hardware leakers, @hongxing2020 and MEGAsizeGPU (@Zed__Wang), say Nvidia has stopped supplying GB202 chips, the big Blackwell chip inside the 5090, for GeForce cards. An alleged factory notice says Nvidia "will no longer manufacture any RTX 5090 models, including the D variants." Zed__Wang posted that "all future GB202 supplies are RTX Pro exclusive."

The reason is simple: money. Per Tom's Hardware and TechPowerUp, the new RTX Pro 5500 uses the same 21,760 CUDA cores as the 5090 but with 84GB of memory instead of 32GB. The RTX Pro 6000 uses the same chip and, according to Tom's, can easily sell for $15,000 USD. Same silicon, way bigger cheque.

What this means for gamers

Prices. The 5090 launched in January 2025 at $1,999 USD. TechPowerUp reports European listings went past €5,000 last month, and Walmart was selling one at $4,299 USD. That's before any shortage. With no new chips coming, the reports expect prices to climb further as stock dries up.

Availability. Cards won't vanish overnight. Retailers and board partners still have stock. But it only goes one direction from here.

The used market. Expect "discontinued" to show up in every listing, along with a price bump to match. Be careful. Notebookcheck flags the 5090's melting power connector issue and points out it's unclear how warranty claims will be handled for a card that's no longer made. A used 5090 with no warranty at a collector's price is a big gamble.

The new top gaming card. The same notice claims the new top GeForce card will be an RTX 5080 24GB, with the 16GB 5080 discontinued. TechPowerUp says that sounds a lot like the rumoured RTX 5080 Super with 24GB of GDDR7, which reportedly stalled over memory pricing. No price, no confirmed specs, so I'm not guessing.

The 5090 is overkill for basically everyone

Let's look at what gamers actually own. Valve's September 2026 Steam Hardware Survey:

• 1080p is still the most common primary resolution at 47.91%. 1440p is second at 27.04%. 4K is just 4.79%.
• The most common GPU is the RTX 5070 at 5.86%, then the RTX 5060 at 4.20% and RTX 5060 Ti at 3.87%.
• The most common VRAM amounts are 16GB (27.21%) and 8GB (26.71%).

So roughly three out of four Steam users are at 1080p or 1440p, on mid-range cards with 8 to 16GB of VRAM. The 5090 is a 32GB card built to brute-force 4K. Buying one for a 1080p monitor is like buying a semi truck to get groceries. Sure, it works. You also look ridiculous in the parking lot.

Game devs target what you own, not what Nvidia sells

This is the part people miss. Developers make games for the hardware people actually have, because that's who buys games. That looks like 5060s and 5070s at 1080p and 1440p, not a 5090 at 4K. If the 5090 disappears, the games coming out next year still have to run well on mid-range cards, or the studio doesn't sell many copies.

Losing the 5090 doesn't make the hardware you already own any worse. Honestly, the more devs stop showing off trailers on cards nobody owns, the better.

My take: it's a workstation card in gaming clothes

Here's the honest version. The 5090 stopped being a gaming card a while ago. TechPowerUp notes AI firms were reportedly buying up stock in bulk before it ever hit gaming retail. It has 32GB of VRAM, the same chip as a $15,000 pro card, and a price tag that's more than double its launch price. That's not a gaming product. That's an AI and workstation card with RGB and a GeForce sticker.

Gamers shouldn't be fighting AI companies and scalpers for it. Don't panic buy because it says "discontinued." Scarcity isn't value, and a rare card doesn't make your games run better.

Quick aside: if you actually earn money with one (AI work, 3D rendering, heavy video editing) and find one at a sane price from a real retailer, sure, grab it. It isn't getting cheaper. That's a business purchase, though, not a gaming one.

Bottom line

For gamers, this leak changes less than the headlines make it sound. If you're on a 5060, 5070 or anything in that range at 1080p or 1440p, you're exactly who game devs are building for. Keep your card, skip the scalper drama, and see what the RTX 5080 24GB actually costs if Nvidia ever makes it official.

Your wallet will thank you.

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Sources

• Tom's Hardware, "Nvidia reportedly halts GeForce RTX 5090 production in favor of AI data center and professional GPUs" (Oct 10, 2026): tomshardware.com
• TechPowerUp, "NVIDIA Reportedly Ending the RTX 5090, Reserves GB202 Silicon for Workstation GPUs": techpowerup.com
• Notebookcheck, "Nvidia reportedly leaves RTX 5090 out in the cold as GB202 finds a more lucrative home" (Oct 10, 2026): notebookcheck.net
• Valve, Steam Hardware & Software Survey (September 2026): store.steampowered.com
• Real Gaming News, "Steam Hardware Survey 2026: September Results Explained": realgamingnews.com