The excitement surrounding the launch of Nvidia's new GPU generation is palpable as we approach the release date of January 30. The RTX 5090 and RTX 5080 are set to hit the market, with our RTX 5090 review dubbing it "the fastest graphics card on the consumer market." Despite their high-end prices of $2,000 for the RTX 5090 and $1,000 for the RTX 5080, the demand remains incredibly high. However, rumors suggest that stock will be limited, with one UK retailer claiming they only have "single digit" stock for the RTX 5090.

The fervor has led to eager customers camping outside Micro Center’s Tustin location in California, days before the launch. Photos of these setups have surfaced on Reddit and the Unofficial Micro Center Discord channel, fueling speculation about scalpers taking advantage of the anticipated low stock. A Reddit thread features a camper from the second tent who clarified, "Hello everyone, I’m the guy that you guys are talking about in the second tent. And yes, we are buying it for our own use, no trades and no sells. We just don’t want to pay for that extra $ for a gaming card and yes we do have some times on our hands because we run a business. Good luck to everyone who are trying to get one."

The camper further noted that everyone at the Tustin Micro Center is "very nice and respectful." As of now, there are up to 10 tents at the location, with approximately 24 people waiting for the GPU launch, according to reports from the Micro Center Unofficial Discord channel.

In preparation for the launch, Micro Center shared its strategy for distributing the RTX 5090 and 5080 via a YouTube video, explicitly discouraging camping outside in the cold January weather. "We do discourage camping at our locations for the 5090 and 5080," the company stated.

Nvidia GeForce RTX 5090 – Photos

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Camping for new graphics cards at Micro Center is not a new phenomenon, as documented by YouTuber Austin Evans during the RTX 3070 launch at the same Tustin location in 2020. Micro Center will distribute the GPUs on a first-come-first-serve basis using a voucher system. Customers waiting in line won't have a choice in the specific model of GPU they receive, and only one card can be purchased per customer. Although Micro Center discourages camping, they still recommend arriving early to avoid disappointment.