Edward Snowden calls out Nvidia for delivering “F-tier value for S-tier prices” with its RTX 50 series

Edward Snowden calls out Nvidia’s high GPU pricing and “next-quarter thinking”

Now, this is something that I never expected to be reporting on. The famed NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden has called out Nvidia for their high GPU prices. Snowden has stated that Nvidia is now offering consumers “F-tier value for S-tier prices,” referring to the company’s recently released RTX 50 series graphics cards.

Specifically, Snowden appears to have a problem with Nvidia’s RTX 5080 GPU. He said that “releasing a $1,000+ GPU in 2025 with a crippling 16GB is a monopolistic crime against the consumer.”  Furthermore, he stated that Nvidia’s “5070 should have had 16GB VRAM minimum.”

Honestly, Snowden is saying what many PC enthusiasts have been complaining about for a while. GPU prices have risen to insane highs. In 2017, Nvidia released their RTX 1080 Ti for $699. In 2025, Nvidia launched their $1999 RTX 5090. Every new release has seen Nvidia’s GPU pricing rise, making high-end GPU models increasingly unaffordable.

Endless next-quarter thinking has reduced the Nvidia brand to "F-tier value for S-tier prices". 5070 should have had 16GB VRAM minimum, 5080 w 24/32 SKUs, 5090 32/48/+. Releasing a $1,000+ GPU in 2025 with a crippling 16GB is a monopolistic crime against the consumer.

— Edward Snowden (@Snowden) January 31, 2025

Today’s Nvidia has high margins and a stranglehold over the PC gaming market. Furthermore, the AI/server market has eclipsed gaming as Nvidia’s primary profit driver. Nvidia isn’t a gaming-only company anymore, and like all publically traded companies, shareholder value is more important than giving consumers more value.

What do you think about what Snowden is saying about Nvidia? Does he have a point? Should Nvidia be trying to deliver more value for money with their gaming products?

You can join the discussion on Edward Snowden saying the Nvidia brand offers “F-tier value” on the OC3D Forums.