Nvidia’s RTX 4090 is on the verge of being discontinued to make way for a new flagship Blackwell GPU, the RTX 5090, the rumor mill believes.
Wccftech noticed that the Japanese tech blog Gazlog got the scoop on this from the Board Channels in China, which is a common source of rumors from the supply chain, but one that should be regarded with some skepticism.
We’re told that Nvidia is planning to cease production of the RTX 4090 (and the RTX 4090D variant for China) in October, and then the GPU inventory will be slimmed down over the course of that month and November.
This is, of course, paving the way for the RTX 5090 (and 5090D), at least in theory.
The source further notes that with production being halted, stock of the RTX 4090 may soon start to run thin, and therefore pricing could go up as a result – at least while the RTX 5090 remains waiting in the wings.
(Image credit: Future)
Analysis: Blackwell launch timing
This is just speculation, and requires extra seasoning given the source, as we’ve already noted. Still, given its next-gen graphics card plans, it’s not exactly surprising to hear that Nvidia is expected to pull the plug on the RTX 4090 next month – though do note the (translated) report couches it in terms of an expectation, rather than a concrete plan for Team Green at this stage.
We’d normally judge the likely truthfulness of any rumor by examining other speculation linked to it, meaning in this case the purported launch date of the RTX 5090 (and RTX 5080, which is also expected to be part of the initial Blackwell launch). However, the grapevine has been a bit all over the place regarding that prospect, sadly.
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Mind you, a few more reliable sources are now gravitating towards the idea of a CES 2025 launch for the RTX 5090 and 5080, or perhaps a late in 2024 reveal, which would line up with starting to cut down RTX 4090 stock from next month onwards.
However, a more recent suggestion has been a September launch – which would indicate an imminent arrival – although to be honest, we’re not buying that possibility. We’d have expected to see more rumors about the RTX 5090 (and 5080) at this stage if they were about to be unleashed. We’re more inclined to believe the CES 2025 launch possibility, frankly – but we could be wrong, of course.
Still, if you want to buy an RTX 4090, be aware that as noted, pricing could be going up. That said, with the RTX 5090 not too far off launching, one way or another, it’d seem a bit crazy not to wait for the next-gen flagship to see if it really will be a huge performance leap over its Lovelace counterpart, as some are predicting (surely making it set to grab a spot on our list of the best GPUs). That said, the RTX 5090’s price tag could be seriously eye-watering, and indeed, we’d be surprised if it wasn’t – a hike seems very likely to be in the cards.
