Facepalm: Nvidia's list prices for the recently launched RTX 50 series graphics cards have become almost imaginary, with board partners charging hundreds more for some models. While a few listings still maintain the pretense of MSRP, MSI had none over the weekend, sparking concerns of a repeat of 2021's crypto-driven price inflation. Hardware & Co recently caught MSI raising the prices of its Nvidia RTX 50 series graphics cards, effectively eliminating the last remaining MSRP listings. Although the prices have since reverted, only two RTX 5070 Ti models currently adhere to Nvidia's suggested pricing.A screenshot from VideoCardz shows that MSI briefly hiked the prices of its cheapest RTX 5070 Ti variants, listing the Shadow 3X at $819 and the Shadow 3X OC at $839 both of which have since returned to the GPU's $749 MSRP. The Ventus 3X OC and Inspire 3X OC also saw temporary price increases of $70 and $80, respectively.Click to enlargeUnfortunately, MSI continues to apply premiums to all available RTX 5080 and 5090 models. Despite the RTX 5080's official $999 MSRP, MSI's cheapest option is the Ventus 3X at $1,139. Meanwhile, the RTX 5090, theoretically priced at $1,999, actually starts at $2,399.While other board partners have also raised prices for most RTX 50 models, some MSRP listings remain, suggesting that not all manufacturers have followed MSI's lead at least not yet. The standard RTX 5070, launching on March 5, has so far maintained its $549 list price. // Related StoriesInflated prices have only worsened what was already a lukewarm cost-per-frame improvement with the RTX 50 series. Our RTX 5070 Ti review concluded that the GPU is only worthwhile at MSRP. At $900, customers might as well have bought an RTX 4070 Ti two years ago. Interested customers forced to pay $900 instead may as well have purchased an RTX 4070 Ti two years ago.Click to enlargeStill, even these overpriced models tend to sell out instantly. When Nvidia's latest lineup launched in January, some retailers received only double- or even single-digit quantities of high-end cards, and it remains unclear when stock levels will improve.One theory behind the lack of MSRP models from board partners points to their razor-thin profit margins, worsened by Nvidia's decision to use more expensive GDDR7 VRAM for every RTX 50 GPU. Additionally, a recent earthquake in Taiwan likely impacted supply chains.Whether AMD can capitalize on what some have called a paper launch from Nvidia remains uncertain. Team Red's Radeon RX 9070 and 9070 XT are set to launch imminently at $549 and $599, with rasterized performance expected to closely match the RTX 5070 and 5070 Ti. However, board partner listings for AMD's new GPUs have yet to surface.