RTX 5090 for $5000? New Reports Suggest GPU Price Hikes Incoming

A report claims Nvidia’s RTX 5090 could rise from $1,999 to $5,000 in 2026, with monthly GPU price hikes linked to memory costs.

Nvidia RTX 5090 could hit $5,000 in 2026 (rumour)

Insider Gaming says a South Korean report is warning of another ugly year for GPU prices. The headline claim: Nvidia’s RTX 5090 could climb from $1,999 at launch to as much as $5,000 later in 2026. And it won’t just be Nvidia — AMD’s high-end cards could rise too. This is all unconfirmed, but the reasoning (memory costs and AI-driven demand) is the same story we’ve been hearing across PC parts for a while.

A new rumor claims Nvidia may push RTX 5090 pricing as high as $5000 in 2026
The same report suggests AMD could also raise prices on its top GPUs, but "not as steeply"
The claimed driver is memory costs, with an "insider" quote saying memory can exceed 80% of GPU manufacturing cost

What the rumour actually says

This report is doing two things: throwing out a big number, and hinting it’s part of a wider pricing pattern.

RTX 5090: claimed to move from $1,999 to up to $5,000 in 2026
Timing: price increases suggested to start from January
AMD: RX 9000 series also tipped to rise, but “not as steeply”
Pattern: claims of monthly increases and broader pricing pressure

The important bit is the “monthly” language. It implies this isn’t just one launch-day price bump. It’s more like a slow ratchet that keeps turning through 2026.

Why memory costs are the key villain

The report points to memory as the cost centre that’s breaking everything.

Quote attributed to an “insider”: memory has exceeded 80% of GPU manufacturing cost
Report claims increases may hit entire product line-ups
That includes consumer GPUs and AI data centre/server GPUs

In plain English: GPUs need a lot of fast memory, and if that part gets expensive, the whole card gets expensive. If memory really is eating most of the bill of materials, brands don’t have many “easy” places to cut costs without changing the product.

What this could mean for UAE buyers

If you convert the numbers directly (roughly $1 = AED 3.67), you’re looking at:

$1,999 ≈ AED 7,300
$5,000 ≈ AED 18,400

And that’s before local factors like shipping, retailer margins, and VAT.

If you’re shopping locally, keep an eye on what’s actually on shelves and what the real street prices look like. Our UAE-focused round-up of RTX 50 Series deals is a good benchmark for “normal” pricing versus inflated listings: RTX 50 Series UAE deals.

Also worth tracking: availability. When stock gets tight, prices get weird fast. We’ve also covered chatter around supply pressure for RTX 50-series cards here: RTX 50 supply cut report.

How to read this rumour without losing your mind

This is still a rumour. It’s not Nvidia publishing new MSRPs on a slide deck.

There’s no official confirmation of a $5,000 RTX 5090 price
The report bundles claims about consumer and enterprise GPUs
It uses sourcing language like “reportedly” and “it has been claimed”

What you can do is treat it as a warning sign. Watch for concrete signals: official MSRP updates, big swings at major retailers, and repeatable patterns across regions.