The Nvidia RTX 4090, currently the reigning champion of graphics cards in terms of performance, is facing its curtain call. Reports from the Board Channel forums suggest that Nvidia is ending production of both the RTX 4090 and the China-exclusive RTX 4090D in October, clearing the stage for the arrival of next-generation RTX 50-series cards.
This move shouldn’t come as a surprise. It’s a familiar pattern in the tech world: flagship GPUs, like the RTX 4090, typically have a limited shelf life after a new generation launches. We saw this play out with the RTX 3090, and the RTX 4090 is now following suit.
Although production might end in October, you won’t see the RTX 4090 vanish from stores overnight. Board partners, like MSI, Asus, and Gigabyte, who manufacture Nvidia graphics cards, will need time to fulfill their final orders. This means that even though Nvidia is pulling the plug, the card will likely linger on shelves for several months, especially in the US. Similar reports about the RTX 3060 surfaced last month, and that card is still readily available at retailers.
However, the Board Channel post warns of a potential price increase, particularly in November, if demand stays strong. This wouldn’t be unexpected, considering the RTX 4090 has rarely sold for its list price in the past year. Late last year, the card saw a significant price jump, with many models exceeding $2,000 due to the US government’s ban on exporting the RTX 4090 to China. This ban led to almost immediate price doubling in the Chinese market.
While price increases might occur, they are likely to be temporary. Nvidia is expected to launch its next-gen RTX 50-series GPUs either at the end of this year or early next year. Recent reports suggest that Nvidia is currently finalizing the designs for these GPUs. While we might see them before the end of the year, an early 2025 release seems more likely at this point. The Blackwell design, reportedly delayed in the data center, could be the reason for the potential pushback in the consumer release.
