Graphics hardware giant Nvidia has issued an apology in the wake of its new RTX 3080 card hitting shelves.

In a blog post, the firm described it as "simultaneously the best GPU launch ever and the most frustrating" after demand truly outstripped supply. Nvidia said it saw four times as many users on its site as its previous release, 10 times the peak web requests per second and over 15 times the number of clicks to partners.

The company has moved its storefront to a new location to provide greater protection against bots and resellers that have plagued the platform to date. Nvidia has also vowed to increase security in order to stop bots from buying GPUs.

"We have great supply – just not for this level of demand," Nvidia wrote.

"It is typical for initial demand to exceed supply for our new GPUs. Our global network of partners are ramping as hard as they can to get the new GPUs to the more than 100 million GeForce gamers around the world. Our philosophy has always been to get the latest technology into the hands of gamers as fast as possible. As we race to build more GeForce RTX 3080s, we suggest not buying from opportunistic resellers who are attempting to take advantage of the current situation."

Nvidia revealed the RTX 30 line of graphics cards at the start of September. Since then, the company has snapped up UK chip maker Arm in a controversial deal.