Looks like you will have to pinky promise you won’t export your RTX 5090 if you buy a gaming PC from Micro Center now
Micro Center has begun requiring customers who purchase gaming PCs equipped with high-end NVIDIA RTX 5090 graphics cards to sign declarations pledging they will not export the GPUs. The policy, which reportedly took effect just days before being encountered by a Reddit user at the Tustin, California location, applies to prebuilt systems like the Powerspec Ai90.
The measure stems from U.S. government export restrictions on advanced graphics cards destined for China, implemented as part of broader national security efforts to limit technology transfer. Retailers are also concerned about price gouging and unauthorized exports by resellers seeking higher international profit margins.
The signed declaration represents an unusual retail practice intended to ensure compliance with federal export controls. This requirement highlights mounting tensions between consumer electronics retail operations and national security policy, as high-performance GPUs face increasingly stringent regulatory oversight. The approach may signal a growing trend as export restrictions on advanced semiconductors continue to tighten across the industry.