Good news — Nvidia has just lowered the price of its best graphics card. There are some caveats, though. The price adjustment for the RTX 4090 is only happening in Europe, and only the Founders Edition GPU is affected.
In total, the RTX 4090 is now 9.2% cheaper than it was upon launch. Is Nvidia suddenly feeling generous?
A lot can be said about the RTX 4090, but most people wouldn’t exactly call it cheap — it launched with a $1,600 starting price in the U.S. Europe had it worse from the get-go, because the GPU started out at a whopping 1,950 euros. Due to the weakening of the U.S. dollar, the price has steadily been dropping ever since.
In February, Nvidia adjusted the price of the Founders Edition RTX 4090 down to 1,860 euros, followed by 1,820 euros in March, and finally, 1,770 euros in May. Based on today’s rates, that’s the equivalent of almost $1,950. European customers might also see some difference in pricing depending on their country; as an example, VideoCardz reports that the GPU will cost around 1,790 or 1,780 euros in Spain or France, but German buyers will be able to benefit from the intended MSRP.
Price cuts are always nice, especially when you consider Nvidia’s typically outrageous pricing strategy. However, it’s hard not to note that Nvidia is merely following in the footsteps of its board partners. Non-Founders Edition GPUs are already significantly cheaper in Europe. Palit leads the way here, offering RTX 4090s at 1,670 euros.
Nvidia may have had no choice but to lower the official MSRP due to the exchange rates, but demand might also play a part. The RTX 4090 is hardly necessary for most consumers, and last-gen cards continue to be sufficient for many gamers, so the demand was never going to be sky-high. The GPU market is also seeing a massive decline — Jon Peddie Research reports that in the fourth quarter of 2022, GPU shipments decreased by 15.9%.
Can buyers in the U.S. expect to see price cuts on the RTX 4090 or RTX 4080, given the lowering demand? Not too long ago, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang claimed that falling GPU prices are a “story of the past.” As we can all see, that has proven to be untrue — at least in Europe. Nvidia isn’t usually very keen on offering discounts, though, so it might be a while before we see similar adjustments in the U.S. and the rest of the globe.
