RTX 5090 and RTX 5080 Prices Drop by Up to 22%, but Only in Japan for Now

Nvidia graphics cards have suddenly gotten cheaper in Japan. The RTX 5090 has dropped more than 20% at some stores, and the RTX 5080 has fallen almost 17%. The drop came right as Jensen Huang stepped down as Nvidia CEO, but the two events don’t appear to be connected.

The RTX 5090 saw the biggest drop. According to price comparison site Kakaku.com, the Palit GeForce RTX 5090 GameRock 32GB at Japanese retailer Dospara fell from ¥1,288,000 (about $8,060) to ¥1,048,000 (about $6,560). That’s an 18.6% drop in a single day. At one store in Tokyo’s Akihabara district, ITmedia reports the same card now sells for ¥999,800, which is 22.38% less than before.

The RTX 5080 got cheaper too. The 16GB model fell from a peak of ¥359,800 to ¥299,800 (about $1,880), a 16.7% drop.

Prices dropped the day after Huang’s resignation, but analysts don’t see a direct link between the two. According to Japanese outlet Gazlog, GPU prices peaked in late October, and the RTX 5080 had already started getting cheaper back then. At over ¥300,000, the cards weren’t selling well, so stock began piling up in stores. On top of that, RTX 5090 shipments to Japan resumed around November 3, and new batches went not only to Dospara but to other retailers too.

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Even after the drop, graphics cards are still far more expensive than they were at the start of the year. GPU prices around the world have climbed sharply in recent months because of a memory shortage driven by demand from the AI industry. According to TechSpot, the RTX 5090 in the US cost 370% above its $1,999 MSRP on average in October.

It’s still unclear whether the price drop in Japan marks the start of a wider trend or is just a local correction.