Nvidia is reportedly discontinuing the RTX 4090, the current leading graphics card in the market. According to sources from the Board Channel forums, as shared by Wccftech, Nvidia plans to halt production of the RTX 4090 and the China-exclusive RTX 4090D next month. The decision is reportedly being made to pave the way for the next generation of RTX 50-series graphics cards, which are expected to debut soon.
The end of an era for the RTX 4090
It is no surprise that Nvidia would wind down the production of the RTX 4090. Whenever a new generation of GPUs is released, the flagship models from the previous generation often see a quick reduction in shelf life. This was evident when Nvidia discontinued the RTX 3090 following the release of the 40-series GPUs. While Nvidia has not made an official announcement and likely won't confirm the news directly, reports suggest that production will end as early as October.
Despite the end of production, the RTX 4090 won't immediately vanish from store shelves. Brands like MSI, Asus, and Gigabyte, which manufacture Nvidia cards, still need to place final orders. This means the RTX 4090 will likely remain available at retailers for several months, especially in regions like the U.S. The RTX 3060, which faced similar discontinuation rumours last month, is still widely available.
Potential price increases on the horizon
While availability won't be an immediate concern for most buyers, the Board Channels post does raise a potential issue—rising prices. According to the post, if demand remains strong, there may be a “possible increase in market prices” by November. This wouldn't be a shocking development, considering the RTX 4090 has already seen price fluctuations over the past year.
The RTX 4090 hasn't been sold at its list price for quite some time. At the end of last year, the GPU's price surged past US$2,000 in the U.S. following a government decision to ban its export to China. This restriction caused prices to double in China almost overnight, with similar effects seen elsewhere.
However, if prices spike again, the trend will likely last long. Only a short time is expected before its new RTX 50-series GPUs launch later this year or early next year. Recent reports suggest that Nvidia is finalising the design of these next-gen graphics cards. While there's a chance they could arrive before the end of the year, early 2025 now seems more likely due to delays in the Blackwell design for the data centre, which could affect the consumer release.
If you're eyeing an RTX 4090, there's still time to get one before stock runs out. However, rising prices may be worth acting sooner rather than later.
