Best Buy is restocking RTX 30-series graphics cards again. Starting on Friday, October 1 at 7:30 a.m. local time, Best Buy stores across the country will start handing our vouchers for the coveted GPUs. If you’re lucky enough to receive a voucher, you’ll be entitled to a graphics card — and at list price.
You’ll only be able to buy the graphics cards in-store, and only select stores are participating. You can look up the location nearest to you using the search on Best Buy. If this is your first time going to a Best Buy restock, there are a few important things you should know.
At 7:30 a.m. local time, employees will start handing out vouchers. These vouchers are on a first-come, first-served basis, so those at the front of the line will have first pick at the card they want. You can only get one voucher per payment method, so if you plan on showing up with friends, make sure to bring separate payment methods.
At 8 a.m. local time, the store will open, and you’ll be able to move through the line to buy a card. As long as you have a voucher, you’re guaranteed to have one waiting for you inside the store. Be prepared to stand for a few hours outside, though — we had to at Best Buy’s most recent restock event.
Best Buy shared in a statement that it will be restocking the following models:
- Nvidia RTX 3060 Ti
- Nvidia RTX 3070
- Nvidia RTX 3070 Ti
- Nvidia RTX 3080
- Nvidia RTX 3080 Ti
- Nvidia RTX 3090
Nvidia has partnered with Best Buy for exclusive distribution of its Founder’s Edition cards, which will sell for their list price. Best Buy also said that participating stores will have select EVGA, MSI, and Gigabyte graphics cards for certain models.
How to score a GPU at the Best Buy restock
We were able to secure an RTX 3090 at the most recent Best Buy restock, so we rounded up a few tips for how to get one yourself. The most important thing is to show up early, but that doesn’t mean you need to camp out. We showed up at around 6:30 a.m. local time and ended up securing a card with a few dozen left for others.
Unfortunately, we don’t know how many cards each Best Buy will get. The most recent drop allocated about 150 cards per store, though. In addition to the inventory each store has, there are bound to be some stores that draw a bigger crowd than others. If you live in a populous area, make sure to show up earlier.
You won’t know if you secured a card until employees start handing out vouchers. If you get a voucher, don’t lose your place in line — although you’re guaranteed a card with the voucher, you still need to wait in line to check out. At the most recent event, however, the Best Buy we visited allowed people to jump in front if they signed up for a Best Buy credit card.
After that, it’s a waiting game. Make sure to bring plenty of water and be prepared to wait in line for two to three hours after the vouchers are out. If you don’t get a voucher, don’t worry — Best Buy has done a few of these restocks, and we’ll probably see more in the future.