Custom GeForce RTX 3090 Ti Cards Command Up To $5,500 In Early Retail Listings

MSI GeForce RTX 3090 graphics card
There was never any chance the GeForce RTX 3090 Ti would end up with what most gamers would consider an affordable price, but even so, some early retail listings are eliciting double-takes. The most expensive we have seen so far is 633,773 Japanese Yen (right around $5,500 in US currency) for a custom variant.

Before we go any further, let's take a look at what pricing is supposed to look like for the current lineup, if we were not in the midst of a shortage...
  • GeForce RTX 3090: $1,499
  • GeForce RTX 3080 Ti: $1,199
  • GeForce RTX 3080: $699
  • GeForce RTX 3070 Ti: $599
  • GeForce RTX 3070: $499
  • GeForce RTX 3060 Ti: $399
  • GeForce RTX 3060: $329
  • GeForce RTX 3050: $249
Those are all baseline MSRPs, and of course add-in board (AIB) can (and often do) charge more for custom models with beefier cooling solutions, overclocked specs, and other features (like RGB lighting and additional sensors). Save for the occasional restock, nothing really sells at or even close to MSRP right now, but each new card still has a recommended price.

The GeForce RTX 3090 Ti will not be an exception—NVIDIA will undoubtedly announce an MSRP when it gets around to providing more details. If we had to venture a guess, we'd say it will probably be around $1,999 for the Founders Edition. Some custom models will cost more, and of course the shortage tax is still in play. But $5,500?

Nano store listing for a GeForce RTX 3090 Ti
There are actually two retailers where an MSI GeForce RTX 3090 Ti Suprim X is listed for 633,773 Japanese Yen. One is Nanos (as shown above) and the other is Rakuten. Both essentially amount to preorders because the card has not actually launched yet.

Incidentally, the same card showed up at a Swiss retailer a couple of weeks ago for 3,678.40 Swedish Francs, which is around $4,025, as well as a Gaming X Trio variant for 3,595.30 Swedish Francs (~$3,934). There's also a leaked preorder ad from a Vietnamese retailer showing a Galaxy GeForce RTX 3090 Ti EX Gamer Blackj Edition for 86.9 million VND, which is around $3,836 in US currency.

So yes, the GeForce RTX 3090 Ti is going to command a big premium. Whether it ends up fetching what these early listings suggest remains to be seen. interestingly, it's rumored NVIDIA told its AIB partners to hit pause on producing custom models, leading to speculation that NVIDIA needs extra time to smooth out the BIOS or adjust the hardware requirements for custom PCBs.

In any event, here's hoping NVIDIA launches the card soon, if no other reason than to have clarity on the full specs and MSRP.