Read It and Weep: Here s How Bad Nvidia GPU Prices Got in a Single Year. How much does a gpu cost

Nvidia recently launched the 12GB variant of the RTX 2060 Super, and Nvidia and AMD made new desktop announcements at CES. AMD brought the RX 6500 XT for $ 199, and Nvidia showed the RTX 3050 for $ 249 and the RTX 3090 Ti. Nvidia also quietly released the 12GB variant of the RTX 3080, which was not featured at CES.

Why Are Graphics Cards So Expensive Right Now?

You’ve probably noticed now how expensive graphics cards are. But why? Here are the reasons for the high prices.

It’s hard to get hold of a new graphics card at the moment. Whether you are looking for a new generation or legacy card, all cards on the market today are overpriced and with limited availability.

In short: the current demand for graphics cards far exceeds the total available supply. How did this happen? Why is supply not keeping up with demand?

In this article, we’ll look at the reasons why graphics cards are so expensive these days. Many of these factors are obvious. On the other hand, others may surprise you.

The Global Chip Shortage

Why are GPUs so expensive? Economics, my dear Watson. Supply, demand, and resource allocation determine how available or expensive a good or service is, especially with what the general public sees and has access to.

We are currently facing a global chip shortage that could go on indefinitely. We use semiconductor chips in everything from computers to airplanes; producers all over the world have had to cut or limit production due to scarcity.

This applies not only to graphics cards, but also to other sectors, including laptops, phones, and video game consoles.

In many ways, you really get what you pay for. Just another factor to consider when determining your options the next time you’re ready to upgrade.

Read It and Weep: Here’s How Bad Nvidia GPU Prices Got in a Single Year

We present prices for various Nvidia RTX 3000 graphics cards from their initial launch to the present. This is not good.

Prices in the US for the Gigabyte RTX 3070 card

If you somehow bought your Nvidia graphics card a year ago, consider yourself lucky. Since then, the desktop GPU market has been in a depressing mess. Supply remains scarce, scalping is rampant and price inflation is above us.

Example: I got a Gigabyte RTX 3070 card from Best Buy 12 months ago which cost me $ 569. Now the same card is priced at $ 749 due to rising costs and tariffs from Trump’s time to China that went into effect earlier this year.

But good luck finding the card even for the price. PC graphics cards continue to sell out within minutes, making them extremely difficult to buy at normal retail price. To get the Gigabyte RTX 3070 immediately, you’ll need to try eBay, a third-party dealer, Amazon, or Newegg, where it can cost 400,200 or more.

To put this into perspective, we’ve decided to present the price increases for various Nvidia RTX 3000 graphics cards from GPU vendors such as Asus, EVGA, Gigabyte, and MSI. To do this, we looked at the initial launch price at Best Buy or Newegg, using tools like the Internet Archive, PCPartPicker, and last year’s news articles.

We then checked the current retail prices and compared them with the cost consumers can find at third party dealers at Amazon and Newegg. Finally, we included the most recent average selling price of each card on eBay using this website’s Terapeak tool. The results are below – try not to cry.

Nvidia RTX 3070 Models

Remember when the RTX 3070 was announced with a starting price of $ 499? Those days are long gone, unless you can grab the Founders Edition model.

As you can see, it’s best to avoid buying cards from third-party dealers on Amazon where prices are worse than those charged by scalpers on eBay, although prices can fluctuate quickly. (Where indicated, the terms “Rev 2.0” and “LHR” mean the product listing states that the card contains Nvidia’s Ethereum hash rate limiter.)

According to Microsoft, Windows 11 is rolling out twice as fast as Windows 10 via upgrade offers. In addition, the Windows 11 upgrade offer is entering the final stage of availability, which Microsoft did not anticipate until mid-2022.

Average Cost of Graphics Card by Model:

In 2019, the most popular and used graphics cards are from the GTX 1050 to the GTX 1080, and the recently released RTX 2080 is starting to break into the market. The higher the model number, the more expensive the graphics card will be.

Rank Model Price Where to buy
1 GTX 1050 154 → Click here to see the offer
2 GTX 1060 pLN 334 → Click here to see the offer
3 GTX 1070 pLN 413 → Click here to see the offer
4 GTX 1080 607 → Click here to see the offer
5 RTX 2080 787 → Click here to see the offer

We personally believe that no average gamer will have to spend nearly 400,000 on the RTX 2080. The top of the graphics cards should only be reserved for those who plan on playing for hours a week, streaming online via Twitch and Youtube, or planning to compete in esports tournaments. A hobbyist who strives for perfection should be more than happy with the 1070 or 1080. Those who just want to break into PC games and want to be able to play modern games should be more than happy with the 1050 or 1060.

Cryptocurrency miners must use cards with at least 4GB of video RAM to mine effectively, and many miners prefer 6 to 8GB for longevity and performance. One of the effects this has had on the market is that nowadays cards with more than 4GB of video RAM have become even harder to come by.

A roller coaster of prices

Offers for RTX 3080 on eBay.

Normally I would expect GPU prices to drop as generations start showing their age. But the GPU market isn’t normal right now, and I can’t tell you which direction GPU prices will go. Prices fell in mid-2021, showing promising signs that the GPU shortage is finally slowing down. Now that we are in the beginning of 2022, prices are rising again.

The cost of the components is in the air and graphics cards are still subject to the 25% tariff. Nvidia and other companies have asked the US government for an exemption from these tariffs, but this exemption was not granted at the time of publication. There are also rumors that AMD may introduce a 10% price increase on its RX 6000 graphics cards.

Needless to say, GPU pricing is a mess and will likely remain a mess for much of 2022. I suspect that at the beginning of the year we will see a drop in prices, an increase around summer and another fall (hopefully still falling). This is just speculation. There’s no way to predict which direction prices are going, given how the GPU market has been going for over a year.

Prices will drop at some point, but may not reach the same levels as before. The coronavirus pandemic has significantly increased demand for computers and graphics cards, and that demand has not gone away – even with many people returning to the office. While there are signs that AMD and Intel will be selling under $ 200 GPUs in the future, we don’t have these options. Graphics cards may never be as cheap as they used to be.

Increased supply

Nvidia GPU core.

Niels Broekhuijsen / Digital Trends

As with valuation, I don’t have a GPU crystal ball that indicates the direction the market is going. However, there are signs that the supply will increase in 2022. Nvidia recently said it expects the GPU shortage to limit itself by mid-2022. Intel’s CEO said something similar, stating that the chip shortage would improve in 2022, hoping to create a stable supply chain by 2023.

This does not necessarily mean a price drop. Supply and demand are important, but the cost of components and tariffs can still make graphics cards more expensive than they should be. Looking ahead to next year, I expect it will be easier to find graphics cards in online stores, but prices will remain high.

I can already see the signs of this. While graphics cards are hard to find, major retailers now have cards in stock. These are mostly barrel bottom options – the Radeon RX 6900 XT, which is a great graphics card, is likely in stock for its price – but there are cards available. This situation should improve next year.

Graphics cards are one of the most important factors when it comes to high-end PC applications. For good performance it is very important in 2020 to have a decent GPU on your system.

How About Used GPUs?

Prices for used GPUs have also dropped over the past month, at a rate similar to that of the current generation cards. For example, Nvidia’s GeForce RTX 20 series dropped an average of 15%, with particularly high drops for cards like the RTX 2080 Ti, which is currently below the 400,000 MSRP.

Manufacturer’s suggested retail price average eBay price in May average eBay price in June average price of eBay in July Current price inflation Price increase from May to July
GeForce RTX 2080 Ti 400,000 400 458 400 219 952 -5% -22%
GeForce RTX 2080 Super 700 PLN 400 047 887 788 13% -11%
GeForce RTX 2080 700 PLN pLN 953 834 PLN 686 -2% -18%
GeForce RTX 2070 Super pLN 500 $ 881 784 $ 638 28% -19%
GeForce RTX 2070 pLN 500 $ 838 $ 678 pLN 603 21% -11%
GeForce RTX 2060 Super pLN 400 pLN 800 707 pLN 613 53% -13%
GeForce RTX 2060 350 $ 641 549 pLN 476 36% -13%
Average twenty% -15%

However, folks interested in previous-gen low-end GPUs are not so lucky, as the RTX 2060 is still overpriced with an average selling price of $ 476 compared to the $ 350 suggested retail price when it was launched two and a half years ago.

The GTX 16 series card market looks much better this month. When we checked in June, price reductions for current-generation high-end GPUs due to the fall in cryptocurrency value have not yet caused a large price move in the mainstream segment. But this month, we are starting to see price drops all the way to the GTX 1650, which has now caught up with other GPUs. Neither of these cards are particularly amazing right now, as they are all priced well above their MSRs entered, but the lower prices are what we like to see.

Manufacturer’s suggested retail price average eBay price in May average eBay price in June average price of eBay in July Current price inflation Price increase from May to July
GeForce GTX 1660 Ti $ 280 585 $ 481 pLN 428 53% -11%
GeForce GTX 1660 Super 230 582 $ 495 425 85% -14%
GeForce GTX 1660 220 497 pLN 430 $ 359 63% -17%
GeForce GTX 1650 Super $ 160 pLN 346 326 $ 291 82% -11%
GeForce GTX 1650 pLN 150 299 295 248 65% -16%
Average 70% -14%

Then we move on to the GeForce 10 series, which saw a greater than average drop in prices in the used market. At this point, every card, except the GTX 1060 6GB, is now below its premiere suggested retail price, which is a milestone for those old Pascal cards. It should be noted that this is also not a great situation as most of these GPUs came out in 2016, but lower prices are welcome.

Takeaways

We have largely good news this month, which is great for the PC hardware ecosystem. GPU prices continued to fall month by month, at a similar pace as in June, despite a less significant decline in cryptocurrency prices and mining profitability. Both the current generation of GPUs and the older generation GPUs in use have seen prices drop, and we are now even seeing movement in the mainstream segment.

This is a positive sign for gamers who have long waited for a new GPU, but the inflated prices aren’t over yet. This is just a step in the right direction on a path that still requires a lot of further steps as there is no way I would be recommending people to pay current scalper prices or even retail prices that stay well above their official manufacturer suggested suggested products. Hopefully it will continue like this, although of course there are no guarantees.

No doubt many are wondering when prices will return to normal levels, which is under discussion for much of 2021. I do not think that two months of price declines will be significant enough to mark a future trend and make forecasts any more. We will continue to evaluate the market and hopefully see more improvements. With that in mind, the trends we saw this year make me déjà vu as I did such updates during the previous crypto boom.

You can expect us to continue to follow prices, research what’s happening in the market, and come back next month with another update and hopefully share some good news with others.

I can already see the signs of this. While graphics cards are hard to find, major retailers now have cards in stock. These are mostly barrel bottom options – the Radeon RX 6900 XT, which is a great graphics card, is likely in stock for its price – but there are cards available. This situation should improve next year.

#1. The price of entry-level graphics cards:

In this category, I’d like to pack graphics cards under $ 250. For 10 years I have also been associated with games and computer hardware. And in 2020, under $ 100- $ 150, I find it too hard to find a good GPU that can actually deliver good, at least minimal, gaming performance.

You will undoubtedly find a plethora of GPUs under $ 100, but it’s far better to add that extra $ 100 to your CPU than buying a GPU under $ 100.

Now which GPUs how much do they cost? Well that is also quite an important question. Don’t worry, I’ll answer all your questions today.

Here’s a table where I included all the pricing for the best entry-level GPUs that I think will be the best for you and give you an amazing price-performance ratio.

Graphic cards Price
ZOTAC GeForce GTX 1660 Super 240
XFX Radeon RX 580 $ 155
Gigabyte Geforce GTX 1050 Ti 230
Gigabyte GeForce GT 1030 115

the price of some basic graphics cards

So my top priority in the under $ 250 range will be the Zotac GeForce GTX 1660 super. It actually costs around $ 240. This card is amazing considering its price. If you’re wondering if you can find a good GPU under $ 250, then this is the solution for you.

How much is the GPU?

Moreover, I also added some good GPUs in this basic category, ie MD RX 580-8 GB, Nvidia GTX 1050 Ti, Nvidia GeForce GT 1030. Each has its own advantages and system specs.

But my first preference will be the GTX 1660 super. So, seeing the price of the following GPUs, we can conclude that an entry-level GPU costs around $ 150-250.

#2. The price of mid-range GPUs:

In this category, I will discuss the average price of a mid-range GPU. More specifically, if you buy a mid-level GPU, you can play games with ultra settings up to 1080P and decent fps. But some cards in this category can also provide 4K gameplay.

Of course, depending on the price, their performance also varies, but I chose GPUs ranging from $ 250 to $ 500 in this category. And with GPUs in this price range, you can play games from 1080p to ultra-definition at 60+ fps. Okay, don’t be surprised when some GPUs in this category touch 4K.

Here’s the pricing of some good mid-range graphics cards–

Graphic cards Price
EVGA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER pLN 539
MSI Radeon RX 5700 XT $ 365
MSI GeForce RTX 2060 Super 475
MSI Radeon RX 5700 $ 375

The price of mid-range GPUs

If you ask me which graphics cards are the best in the $ 500 price range, my answer is RTX 2070 SUPER. My point is, you may have to pay an extra $ 30-40 to buy it, but trust me, it’s possible to get the game’s resolution up to 4K with this graphics card.

These super Nvidia cards designed with less power consumption in mind and can give you more performance. Most importantly, some of them also support real-time ray tracing, AI overclocking, and many other interesting features.

Overall, for mid-range graphics cards, I like the RTX 2070 super best, which costs around $ 540. But if you don’t have a sufficient budget and can afford GPUs greater than $ 250, I have also listed some good mid-range GPUs at a lower price point above.

But don’t forget the amazing price-performance ratio it gives.

However, you can also consider purchasing the other mid-range GPUs I mentioned above. Therefore, for your convenience, I have listed all good GPUs and their prices in the table.

How much do mid-range GPUs cost:

Overall, seeing a graph of all mid-range GPUs, we can tell you that the minimum price you need to spend to buy one GPU is around $ 300 and the maximum is $ 540.

Since these GPUs are not the same and can produce different performance factors, the price also varies. You can play minimum 1080P to 4K settings if you buy one of them.

So, the cost of mid-range GPUs ranges from $ 250- $ 500.

As an aside, last month we decided to stop tracking the CPU market as we noticed that this segment is basically back to normal and that is still true in July which is really great news. In fact, we mentioned in our regular report how popular chips like the Ryzen 5600X now sell at a suggested retail price of $ 300 or below.

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