On Thursday morning, the company sent out email invites to a select group of users in the US and Europe as part of a new test program.
Tired of struggling to buy a new graphics card on launch day? Nvidia is piloting a new program to sell its GPUs directly to consumers through email invites.
Nvidia kicked off the program on Thursday morning by sending some lucky users invites to buy the newly launched RTX 4090 graphics card from Best Buy.
In a forum post, Nvidia explained: “We know it’s often challenging to purchase a new product close to launch date for a variety of reasons. Today, we’re testing a program we call verified priority access—which will give a limited number of GeForce gamers and creators an opportunity to purchase a GeForce RTX 4090 Founders Edition graphics card.”
The company is testing the program in the US and several European markets including the UK, Germany, and France. One GPU and console restock expert on Twitter, @CameronRitz, was among those who received the invite on Thursday.
The email invite, which was sent at 9:08 a.m ET, says Nvidia is offering a chance to buy the Founders Edition RTX 4090 through its GeForce Experience app, which is used to download the latest drivers for its graphics cards. All the user has to do is log into the app, and check a special “Redeem” section for a link to buy the RTX 4090 from Best Buy. The invite also mentions it will expire in four days, on Oct. 17.
It’s unclear how Nvidia is selecting which customers receive the invite. The company didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. But Nvidia is likely leveraging its GeForce Experience app—which can also determine which GPU is installed on a PC—to help it find customers willing to pay $1,599 for the RTX 4090.
“My guess is they know you’re an existing owner via GeForce Experience and use an algorithm from there to determine if you’re an enthusiast,” @CameronRitz added. Thanks to the invite, he decided to buy an RTX 4090, even though he didn’t plan on it.
For others, the invite system could help consumers still struggling to find an RTX 4090. The product launched yesterday morning, but sold out in minutes. The Founders Edition model was particularly hard to buy from Best Buy and sold out instantly for some customers. On top of all this, scalpers have been cashing in on the demand, and have already successfully resold some RTX 4090 units on eBay for $2,500 or more.
Next month, Nvidia is also planning on selling the RTX 4080. So it’s possible the program could expand to more product models in the future.
By Michael Kan14 Oct 2022, 1:39 a.m.
