RTX 5090 Sold in a Bundle with Eight Motherboards

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The Reality of the RTX 5090 Bundles

The bundle sales of the Nvidia GeForce RTX 5090 on the Taiwanese e-commerce platform PChome24h are causing a stir in the PC DIY market. According to information published by hardware media outlet Uniko’s Hardware on X (formerly Twitter), the site is selling four types of “free gift” combo products that bundle the RTX 5090 GPU with multiple motherboards, mid-range GPUs, CPUs, and other components.

Specifically, the details are as follows.

The Asus ROG Astral GeForce RTX 5090 Combo ($7,720) includes one GPU and four Asus Dual Radeon RX 9060 XT cards. The market value of the four “free” RX 9060 XT cards is approximately $316 each. The Gigabyte Aorus RTX 5090 Master Combo ($7,482) includes the GPU plus two B860M Gaming X WiFi6E motherboards, one 1000W power supply unit, one X870E Aorus Master motherboard, and five B850M Force WiFi6E motherboards.

The MSI GeForce RTX 5090 Gaming Trio OC Combo ($8,499) includes the GPU, three MPG X870E Carbon WiFi motherboards, two B650M Gaming Plus WiFi motherboards, and one AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D processor. The Gigabyte Aorus RTX 5090 AI Box (external GPU box) Combo ($8,282) includes the GPU box, one X870E Aorus Master motherboard, two GeForce RTX 5060 Gaming OC 8G graphics cards, and three B850M Force WiFi6E motherboards.

According to an analysis by Jowi Morales of Tom’s Hardware, some of these combos contain enough parts to build one high-end PC and three to five entry-level gaming PCs.

Price Levels and Comparison with the U.S. Market

These bundle prices are positioned higher compared to purchasing the parts individually on U.S. retailers like Amazon or Newegg. However, it is important to note that Taiwan is a separate market with different price structures and value-added tax implications.

What is noteworthy is that in some cases, the combined market price of the individual components is lower than the bundle price. For the Asus ROG Astral GeForce RTX 5090 Combo, the standalone GPU’s U.S. market price is $4,829. The total for the four included RX 9060 XT cards is $316, making a total of $5,145, yet the bundle price is $7,721, carrying roughly a 50% premium. For the Gigabyte Aorus RTX 5090 Master Combo, the total price of individual parts is $7,220, which is lower than the bundle price of $7,482, making it appear to be a better deal. The MSI Combo and Aorus AI Box Combo similarly have configurations where the sum of individual part prices is lower than the bundle price.

Memory Price Hikes and the Contraction of the

PC DIY Market

Tom’s Hardware’s report points out that an “AI-driven memory apocalypse” has significantly raised computer component prices, effectively making PC building for average users difficult. Multiple research institutions predict a double-digit contraction in the PC market in 2026. The entry-level PC market is expected to be hit the hardest, with recovery not anticipated until 2027.

The current bundle sales in Taiwan serve as a prime example of this market environment. The price hikes in DRAM and HBM (High Bandwidth Memory) driven by AI demand are spreading to the entire pricing structure of consumer PC components. This issue is directly linked to the paradoxical rise in RAM unit prices, as noted in discussions about whether the Pixel 11’s 16GB RAM is unnecessary due to price increases.

Structural Difference from the Cryptocurrency Boom

These bundle sales resemble the strategy of “selling GPUs with bundled accessories” seen during the cryptocurrency mining boom in the early 2020s. At that time, GPUs were overstocked, and retailers bundled hard-to-sell inventory with GPUs to clear them.

The current situation is structurally different. AI demand is driving up the prices of both GPUs and memory, making the GPU itself the bottleneck in sales. Retailers, facing difficulties in securing GPUs, are incorporating peripheral components like motherboards, mid-range GPUs, and CPUs into bundles to ensure profit margins beyond standalone sales. This is a reversal of supply and demand dynamics, aligning with the moves by MSI and Colorful to increase RTX 50 series prices by up to 59% in China.

Editorial Opinion

Short-term Impact: These bundle sales could bring about changes in GPU market sales patterns from the second half of 2026 to early 2027. If memory price hikes persist globally, similar bundle sales are likely to spread beyond the Taiwanese market to other Asian and European markets. The scenario where GPUs are used to clear inventory of motherboards and PSUs from mid-range brands symbolizes supply-demand imbalances in the semiconductor supply chain. In the short term, the parts procurement costs for PC DIY users will rise further, increasing barriers to entry for the entry-level segment.

Long-term Perspective: Over a 1- to 3-year span, the structural high memory prices driven by AI demand could fundamentally alter PC DIY culture itself. If a market where component sales alone become unsustainable becomes established, a shift towards OEM pre-configurations and subscription-based PC services will accelerate. The future of the DIY market hinges on when cost reductions for NAND-based memory, enabled by technologies like Hybrid Bonded Flash (HBF), bear fruit.

References

• ” Nvidia RTX 5090 ships in bizarre 8-motherboard bundle — retailers hold GPUs hostage similar to the crypto boom ”, by Jowi Morales — Tom’s Hardware, 2026-08-08T17:08:45.000Z (ARR)
• Source URL: https://www.tomshardware.com/pc-components/gpus/nvidia-rtx-5090-ships-in-bizarre-8-motherboard-bundle-retailers-hold-gpus-hostage-similar-to-the-crypto-boom