In a move that could leave Chinese gamers reeling, MSI has reportedly raised the prices of its graphics cards across the board, with the most significant hike hitting the Nvidia RTX 5080. As per leaks from ChannelGate, a Chinese tech insider board on WeChat, and Harukaze5719 on Twitter, the RTX 5080's price is set to surge from 1,300 Yuan to a staggering 8,000 Yuan ($194 to $1,199). However, lower-end GPUs will see much smaller increases, with the RTX 5060 going up between 200 to 500 Yuan. The RTX 5080's price increase comes just weeks after Nvidia removed it from its own storefront due to hardware shortages, and with Samsung predicting a tightening of RAM supply in the next year.
The RTX 5080 has been a hot commodity since its unveiling, but its high starting price of $999 proved hard to find for a while. Prices have steadily increased since February due to the ongoing RAM crisis. While these price hikes are currently only affecting China, it's likely they will eventually filter through to the US market. At current prices on Newegg, an RTX 5080 starts at around $2,199, and with these increases, that could potentially surge to over $2,400.
Jackie Thomas, Senior Tech Editor at IGN and PC components aficionado, has been reporting on gaming hardware for more than a decade across various publications. With the RAM crisis showing no signs of abating in 2027 and Samsung expecting supply to tighten further next year, gamers worldwide may need to brace themselves for continued price increases.
ATTRIBUTION: According to a post on ChannelGate, a Chinese tech insider board on WeChat, and spotted by Nvidia leaker Harukaze5719 on Twitter.