During NVIDIA's recent Q3 earnings call, CFO Colette Kress cautioned about potential GPU supply constraints in the fourth quarter despite strong gaming sector performance. The gaming division posted impressive results, with $3.2 billion in revenue, representing a 15% increase from the previous year. However, Kress indicated that fourth-quarter gaming revenue might see a decline due to supply limitations, though she reassured that supply should stabilize in early 2025. The company is scaling back RTX 40-series production as it prepares for the anticipated launch of its next-generation Blackwell architecture, which is expected to debut at CES 2025. The RTX 50-series GPU lineup, particularly the flagship RTX 5090 and RTX 5080 models, is rumored to be unveiled during the January event.

"Gaming, although sell-through was strong in Q3, we expect fourth-quarter revenue to decline sequentially due to supply constraints." For consumers, this could mean limited availability and higher prices for gaming GPUs during the holiday shopping season. The shortage is expected to primarily affect RTX 40-series cards, with a particular impact on laptop GPU availability. However, NVIDIA plans to continue producing select RTX 40 mobile chips alongside the upcoming RTX 50 series, suggesting a slow transition between generations. The holiday season is upon us, so this shortage of current-gen models could cost the company some additional customers, as the customer spending usually holds until holidays and holiday discounts.