EVGA now has a virtual queue system for customers to reserve RTX 30 Series GPUs

It hasn’t been easy to find an RTX 30 Series GPU since launch. The overwhelming demand for the new high performance cards has created more than a few headaches for gamers and companies alike. Most retailers have sold out within minutes or even seconds of refreshing stock. The problem has forced Nvidia and AIBs to rethink how they sell the products to keep customers from getting too frustrated until the supply can finally catch up with demand. EVGA deployed a new virtual queue solution for ordering RTX 3080 cards and it seems to be the best option on the market.

Just like in a physical store, customers claim a number and wait their turn to be eligible for a sale. In this case though, EVGA will send emails to eligible customers. They will then have eight hours to complete the order for the GPU. Otherwise, the card will move on to the next in line. It’s the first semblance of order we’ve seen for the GPU launch, and it’s a welcome change that more should consider. While there will still be a wait, customers can at least feel some measure of confidence that a 3080 will eventually be in their hands at the earliest time possible.

Spreading the word

Company spokesman Jacob Freeman announced the change to the ordering policy via the EVGA forums. He also answered some additional questions about product availability and sales. The queue system for the EVGA RTX 3080 is a temporary measure, but it will persist for the foreseeable future. Nvidia’s CEO Jensen Huang has not offered much reassurance either, as he predicts the issues will continue through the holiday season.

Freeman also mentioned that customers will be able to use this system to purchase RTX 3090 cards. EVGA has not determined if all of the coming editions (such as the Hybrid models) will go through the system. Freeman regularly updates customers on product information, though. When something changes, we expect we will know almost immediately.

In other news, the RTX 3070 launch was delayed by Nvidia to make way for wider availability. While EVGA has not detailed specifics about how it will sell that card, we expect the queue system will apply.