The guide to buying the most sought-after GPU versions available.
Updated: Jan 10, 2025 2:36 pm
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Nvidia just announced the RTX 50 series at CES 2025. And out of all the graphics card variations, the RTX Founders Editions are perhaps the most sought-after. This is thanks to the unique design and limited availability; the other appealing factor is that they are always sold at MSRP first-party. You’ll unlikely get scalped unless you buy second-hand or through a third party.
You’ve probably heard of the Founders Edition, but how do you get one? They’re almost always out of stock, some retailers don’t even carry them, and they’re scalped to high heaven second-hand. We will be looking at how to get the Founder’s Edition RTX 50 series on time and for the right price.
Note: The RTX 5090 and 5080 are not launching until January 30th, and the 5070 Ti and 5070 are not launching until sometime in February. As noted in our respective release date articles
Sales rep at Scan UK confirms Founders Editions are purchased through Nvidia and fulfilled by Scan in the UK
We spoke to Scan regarding the Founders Editions of the 50 series GPUs, and a sales representative confirmed that the cards will be sold through Nvidia and fulfilled by Scan. There’s no word yet on whether you can pre-order the cards through Scan or if they will even be listed on launch day. They could be completely unlisted if you’re expected to go through Nvidia. At least we know we must purchase through the Nvidia website if we want an FE card, saving time looking at other retailers (at least in the UK).
Where do you get the RTX 50 series Founders Editions?
It’s not always easy to tell where the 50-series will appear beforehand, but one safe bet is the Nvidia website itself. Looking back at previous years, we can see a couple of stand-out retailers that also carry the Founders Edition cards, but the Nvidia website can direct you to them conveniently in the same place.
If you want specifics, we know that Best Buy has previously carried Founders Edition GPUs, and Scan (in the UK) has also done the same, so it might be worth periodically checking those retailers specifically, as well as the Nvidia Website.
Nvidia website
Here are some quick links to each 50-series GPU on the Nvidia website, along with the most recent release date we have for them.
Best Buy (US)
Here are direct listings we found on Best Buy for the Founders Edition GPUs. There isn’t a specific listing yet for the 5070 Ti, but we have a query link that should take you to the right place.
Scan (UK)
Scan in the UK has been a supplier of RTX Founders Edition GPUs in the past, and following a conversation with a sales rep, FE cards will be purchased through Nvidia and fulfilled by Scan for UK distribution. However, it is unclear whether a Scan listing will be viewable.
There are some listings for AIB 5080s, but none are the Founders Editions. However, this does not disprove the fact that Scan may supply FE cards on the day.
Notify me when GPUs are available
Many retailers have a “notify me” button, but don’t rely on this alone when it comes down to snagging a limited edition GPU. These emails often go out at the time of release rather than giving you a prior warning. Having said that, we’ve covered the launch of many GPUs, and the release time usually stays the same. So if you know when they go out, you can give yourselves some wiggle room.
Some retailers allow you to pre-order items, and if you set up a notification system on an FE card, then you may be notified of the pre-order. This, however, is not guaranteed, as (at the time of writing) there are very few FE listings.
Can you pre-order the Founders Edition RTX 50 series GPUs?
In the past, you could pre-order RTX Founders Edition GPUs. We found a long-forgotten news page on the Nvidia website regarding pre-ordering the 20 series RTX cards. But we didn’t see any Pre-orders go live for the 40 series FE GPUs. Having said that, it was 2022, and GPU inventory was still pretty unstable after the markets recovered from COVID-19. So this was likely due to Nvidia being unsure how many units they could reasonably fulfil.
If Nvidia has a pre-defined inventory with the material supply to manufacture more if needed, then maybe pre-orders will go live at this time. We’ll keep checking the situation as it develops. As of the time of writing, we’re still 22 days from the arrival of the 5090 and 5080. So we’ll know more as the release date draws nearer.
Are Founders Edition GPUs worth it?
That depends on how highly you regard having a limited-edition piece of hardware. The Founder’s Editions are always sold at Nvidia’s price, so you could argue that it’s a guaranteed way to get the GPU at the posted price. And they do look nice if that’s a reasonable argument. The price alone makes them a worthy invention if they fit your use case. Of course, AIB GPUs with bigger heatsinks and higher overclocks will perform slightly better, but you’ll pay for those.
