Nvidia is reviving its “Verified Priority Access” program to sell the GeForce RTX 5080 and 5090 graphics cards directly to select U.S. consumers amidst concerns about scalpers and limited supply. This initiative aims to make these sought-after models more accessible to genuine PC gamers and creators.
Nvidia revives priority access for RTX 5080 and 5090 cards
The program will allow a limited number of verified users who have registered through Nvidia’s GeForce Experience and Nvidia apps the opportunity to purchase one Founders Edition graphics card from the Nvidia Marketplace. According to an official forum post from Nvidia, “It will give a limited number of verified GeForce gamers and creators in the United States the opportunity to purchase one GeForce RTX 5090 or RTX 5080 Founders Edition graphics card.”
Nvidia plans to verify the eligibility of users based on their “region, configuration, games, and app usage.” Users interested in this program must have an Nvidia Account created on or before January 30, 2025, at 6 AM Pacific Time, and can submit their interest by filling out a designated form. The registration process is straightforward; users log in with their Nvidia account and indicate their preferred GPU model. If selected, users will receive notification via email. However, filling out the form does not guarantee selection or availability, as there is a limit of one card per invite, distributed on a first-come, first-served basis while supplies last.
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The first invitations for this program are expected to be sent out next week. The Founders Edition models are priced at $999 for the RTX 5080 and $1,999 for the RTX 5090. Notably, only U.S. consumers can participate, with no mention of availability in other regions.
This program is specifically for the RTX 5080 and 5090 models, excluding the newly launched RTX 5070 Ti, and it solely features Nvidia’s Founders Edition cards. Custom models from third-party manufacturers like ASUS or MSI will not be available through this access program. Nvidia previously implemented similar priority access for the RTX 40 series, rewarding loyal customers with early opportunities to purchase consumer GPUs at their manufacturer’s suggested retail prices (MSRPs).
The program’s design is intended to combat the trend of GPUs being purchased by resellers at inflated prices. It aims to ensure that graphics cards are allocated to genuine users as opposed to bots or resellers. Despite the program’s revival occurring nearly a month post-launch for the RTX 5080 and 5090, Nvidia has not provided clarity on the volume of cards available through this initiative.
Featured image credit: Nvidia
