NVIDIA has made headlines with its recent announcement at the GDC 2025 conference, claiming to have shipped twice as many RTX 50 cards in just five weeks compared to the RTX 40 series. However, this assertion may not provide an accurate picture of the situation.
In the newly released slide, NVIDIA highlights various RTX technologies and places a significant emphasis on the RTX 50 series. The company's claim of doubling shipments appears impressive at first glance, but it becomes questionable upon closer examination. The crux of the issue lies in the differing availability of GPUs during their initial launch periods.
When the RTX 40-series was introduced, only the RTX 4090 was available for the first five weeks. In stark contrast, the RTX 50-series launched with four distinct models: the RTX 5090, RTX 5080, RTX 5070 Ti, and RTX 5070. This significant difference in model availability skews the comparison, as NVIDIA is essentially pitting a single high-end model against the combined shipments of four models from the newer series.
To create a more accurate comparison, it's essential to evaluate the shipments of all RTX 40-series models over a similar timeframe. This would include the first five weeks of both the RTX 4090 and RTX 4080, along with the initial two weeks of the RTX 4070 Ti, and even the first day of the RTX 4070. Given this broader scope, it’s plausible that the combined shipments of these models would surpass those of the RTX 50-series GPUs so far.
NVIDIA has faced considerable criticism regarding its management of the RTX 50 launch. Each model released has struggled to meet the promised MSRP, causing frustration among gamers eager to upgrade their systems. The release of such ambiguous slides only adds to the confusion and dissatisfaction within the gaming community.
As reported by TweakTown, NVIDIA is actively collaborating with its partners, including retail partners, to enhance the availability of these cards at their intended MSRP. NVIDIA’s Justin Walker stated, “We are working closely with not just our AIB partners but also our retail partners to make sure that the supply is available at MSRP. In the end, the best way to do that is to get more supply onto a shelf. As soon as the supply catches up to demand, we expect prices to stabilize.”
While NVIDIA's commitment to improving availability is promising, tangible results remain to be seen. As we continue to monitor the situation, it will be interesting to see if supply chain improvements can lead to better pricing and accessibility for gamers looking to purchase RTX graphics cards.
