We list 5 of the best ways you can increase your chance of securing a Nvidia RTX 5090 when it launches on January 30th, 2025.

Nvidia’s new king of gaming, the RTX 5090, is set to launch at the end of the month, and like always, the new flagship graphics card from Team Green is set to be in high demand by both gamers and DIY PC Builders. In fact, we expect the card to sell out almost immediately when it finally goes live, meaning there’s a high chance you’ll miss the chance to upgrade.

Luckily, we’ve got years of experience when it comes to product launches and have compiled a short list of the 5 best ways you can increase your chances of getting Nvidia’s new flagship. So, let’s dive straight into it.

Find out who will be stocking the RTX 5090 and bookmark product listings for launch day

One of the best ways to increase your chances of getting a ‘high-in-demand’ graphics card is to start searching for product listings weeks beforehand.

Due to the popularity of the card, it’ll likely be stocked at all major hardware and tech retailers, and let’s be honest – some are more popular than others. For example, most people are probably going to run straight to Amazon and battle it out. If that’s the case, then it may be better to keep your eyes on other retailers – like Best Buy, Newegg, and Micro Center.

Basically, the point I’m trying to make is, that you probably want to have a whole list of websites ready and check each one as the GPU goes live, as some of the less popular retailers may offer a better stock-to-customer ratio. Remember, we have a full where to buy the RTX 5090 guide, where we list all the top retailers that sell the GPU – so start there if you’re new to this.

Sign up for email notifications from retailers

Not all retailers offer this feature, but some of the more established outlets do – like Best Buy. This is one of the most effective ways of being notified of stock availability on launch day – especially if you can’t continuously update product pages.

Simply sign up for the service and wait for the retailer to email you with the latest details. On some occasions, they’ll even allow you to reserve a product – but that doesn’t seem to be the case for the RTX 5090.

Pre order the RTX 5090 if it’s available

Sounds obvious, but you’d be surprised at the number of people that don’t check for pre orders ahead of launch. Sadly, there aren’t a tonne of pre order options for the RTX 5090 – mostly because retailers don’t know how many samples they’ll receive on launch.

That said, there doesn’t seem to be any online pre order options for this particular launch. Instead, the better option may be to head into a physical store – like Microcenter – and see if they offer such a service.

Go to a physical store and make an inquiry

While most people would rather enjoy the comforts of home when battling it out for the RTX 5090, the more productive choice may be to get up and head to your local Micro Center or Best Buy.

Far fewer people make the effort to go to a physical store, meaning competition is much lower. Of course, the RTX 5090 looks set to be another massive launch, so expect queues to form hours ahead of its release time. From the physical stores, Micro Center, Best Buy, and B&H PhotoVideo are probably your best bet for graphics cards.

It’s even worth heading down to the store a couple of days in advance to see if they’re offering pre orders – as this service is more likely to occur in a physical store.

Have your details ready on launch day

Again, sounds like an obvious one, but having your card details ready to go, alongside any address details could be the difference between getting an RTX 5090 and missing it. We’ve had scenarios in the past where we’ve had products in our online baskets and by the time we’ve put our details in, it’s notified us that the product is now out of stock.

Ensuring that you’ve got your details either to hand or pre-loaded into the retailer you wish to use is a great way to speed up the purchasing process.

Final thoughts

Ultimately, it’s safe to say that the RTX 5090 (and RTX 5080 which launches on the same day) are going to be hugely popular come January 30th – so some prior planning on how you’re going to secure a card is required.

For me, I like to have at least 5-7 retailers open on different tabs, refreshing each one as the card is about to launch. This way, you’re not handcuffing yourself to one, potentially low-stocked, retailer. There are a bunch of different ways you can increase your chances though, so whatever works best for you and your current circumstances is the way to go. Let’s just hope there is enough stock to go around this time – here’s to wishful thinking.

About the Author

Charlie Noon

Charlie is the Affiliate manager for PC Guide. He has a vast understanding of most PC hardware and consumer essentials, using his knowledge to provide the best products and the biggest deals.