New photos circulating from HKEPC appear to show pallets of brand-new, boxed GeForce RTX 5090 graphics cards being unpacked at AI server assembly facilities. Instead of using NVIDIA’s professional RTX PRO 6000 or dedicated data center accelerators, these companies are reportedly installing standard retail RTX 5090s — the same cards gamers have struggled to buy near MSRP — directly into multi-GPU AI systems.
Some elements of the shared images look altered or AI-edited, so the photos should be treated with caution. Still, the overall situation fits a familiar pattern.
Echoes of the Crypto Boom
During the cryptocurrency mining surge, miners snapped up GeForce cards in large numbers and left gamers facing high prices and limited stock. NVIDIA eventually released Lite Hash Rate models that limited mining performance while preserving gaming capabilities, though those restrictions were eventually bypassed.
This time the demand is coming from AI workloads rather than mining, but the effect on the retail market looks similar. Reports indicate some RTX 5090 listings have climbed past $5,000 — more than double the $1,999 launch price. Industry analysts had warned months ago that strong AI demand could drive up prices of high-end consumer cards.
No AI Restrictions on Standard Models
Interestingly, the cards shown in the photos are not the China-specific RTX 5090D or revised variants that NVIDIA already limited for AI performance to meet export rules. That means the company has demonstrated it can restrict AI capabilities on GeForce hardware while leaving gaming performance intact. So far, it has not applied similar limits to the standard RTX 5090 sold in other markets.
Given how important AI has become to NVIDIA’s business, many observers believe the company is unlikely to intervene this time.
Summary Chart
| Aspect | Details |
|---|---|
| Reported Activity | AI firms buying bulk retail RTX 5090s for servers |
| Cards Used | Standard retail RTX 5090 (not PRO or data-center models) |
| Photo Caution | Some images appear edited or AI-altered |
| Current Pricing Impact | Some listings over $5,000 (vs $1,999 MSRP) |
| Historical Parallel | Similar to crypto mining GPU shortages |
| NVIDIA’s Position | Has restricted AI on China SKUs but not on global 5090 |
Sources: HKEPC reports on X, community discussion on Reddit, and coverage via VideoCardz.
What do you think — should NVIDIA limit AI performance on retail GeForce cards to protect the gaming market, or is this just the new normal? I’d love to hear your thoughts!
