Thursday, February 20th 2025
NVIDIA Revives Verified Priority Access System, Starting with GeForce RTX 5090 & 5080 FE Editions
Three weeks after the launch of its GeForce RTX 5090 and RTX 5080 "Blackwell" GPUs, NVIDIA has introduced a "Verified Priority Access" scheme for North American customers. Approximately eighteen hours ago, the Tim@NVIDIA account posted an announcement on the company's official GeForce discussion forum: "we know it's challenging to purchase a GeForce RTX 50 Series graphics card...It will give a limited number of verified GeForce gamers & creators in the United States the opportunity to purchase one GeForce RTX 5090 or RTX 5080 Founders Edition graphics card from the NVIDIA Marketplace." Team Green graphics card enthusiasts have experienced less than ideal buying conditions since the end of January (2025)—Jensen & Co. have likely absorbed a massive dose of feedback and reacting accordingly, but many pundits will question the relatively late rollout of an anti-scalping system.
A previous iteration of NVIDIA's "Verified Priority Access" program was tested soon after the launch of GeForce RTX 40-series "Ada Lovelace" GPUs. Founders Edition cards are (normally) offered at baseline MSRP, but scalpers have swiftly depleted initial stock allocations. Team Green's revived program presents some strict conditions: "users who have an NVIDIA Account created on or before January 30th, 2025 at 6AM Pacific Time can submit their interest for Verified Priority Access through this form. If selected, users will be notified at the email address of the NVIDIA account they enrolled with. Invites will begin rolling out next week." The Team Green staffer stated that the scheme is—"at this time"—limited to GeForce RTX 5090 and RTX 5080 Founders Edition cards. It should be noted that the just launched GeForce RTX 5070 Ti GPU will not arrive in Founders Edition form; potential buyers will have to navigate a jagged landscape of AIB custom designs.
Sources:
NVIDIA GeForce Forums, Tom's Hardware, VideoCardz
A previous iteration of NVIDIA's "Verified Priority Access" program was tested soon after the launch of GeForce RTX 40-series "Ada Lovelace" GPUs. Founders Edition cards are (normally) offered at baseline MSRP, but scalpers have swiftly depleted initial stock allocations. Team Green's revived program presents some strict conditions: "users who have an NVIDIA Account created on or before January 30th, 2025 at 6AM Pacific Time can submit their interest for Verified Priority Access through this form. If selected, users will be notified at the email address of the NVIDIA account they enrolled with. Invites will begin rolling out next week." The Team Green staffer stated that the scheme is—"at this time"—limited to GeForce RTX 5090 and RTX 5080 Founders Edition cards. It should be noted that the just launched GeForce RTX 5070 Ti GPU will not arrive in Founders Edition form; potential buyers will have to navigate a jagged landscape of AIB custom designs.
10 Comments on NVIDIA Revives Verified Priority Access System, Starting with GeForce RTX 5090 & 5080 FE Editions
In all seriousness this is exactly what vendors were doing back in 2020-21. Once the crypto bust happened magically there were warehouses full of brand new 30-series cards.
Intentionally ceasing production of the 4070 and higher cards three months ago has meant that not only is the 50-series unobtanium and ripe for scalping, but also the previously ample supply of 40-series cards has vanished, so they're being scalped too.
There was no need for the artificial pause in supply, and this anti-scalping measure is far too little, far too late, because Nvidia are assholes who are absolutely overjoyed that price hikes and scalping are going on, because inflation raises the long-term average MSRP expectations which is more profit for them in the long run. The only reason NVidia are reviving this VPA system is because the near-toothless facade of a anti-scalping system is at least positive PR, no matter how thinly-veiled their true intentions are.