GPUs are manner too costly — right here’s the proof

Graphics card pricing sucks, and in the event you’re searching for any type of mid-range or high-end card, it doesn’t resemble these “MSRP” costs introduced on stage in any manner. You in all probability know that already in the event you’ve shopped for one this yr, however an exhaustive statistical evaluation proves it.

The Players Nexus staff, which isn’t any stranger to deep dives on PC {hardware}, determined to take , lengthy have a look at the present graphics card market. The information they collected in a 20-minute video exhibits that high-end playing cards, notably the RTX 5090 and 5080, and the RX 9070 XT, are constantly bought at 45 to 55 % above the urged retail value of the bottom mannequin — the costs that Nvidia and AMD record.

Even allegedly mid-range playing cards just like the RTX 5070 and 5070 Ti, and the RX 9070 get boosted by 20-27 %. And that’s assuming that yow will discover these playing cards in any respect, as inventory tends to vanish instantly.

Nvidia’s RTX 5090, essentially the most highly effective card obtainable to customers for the time being, is a main instance within the Players Nexus information. With a median value of simply over $3,000 from listings of accessible for-sale playing cards gathered throughout Amazon, Newegg, and Finest Purchase, it’s promoting at 53 % over its “base” value of $2,000. The RTX 5080 has an excellent worse markup, promoting for a median of $1,570, a 57 % markup. Even Intel’s Arc B580, which is meant to be a extra inexpensive possibility, is promoting at over 50 % greater than its $250 MSRP.

The explanations are many, however depressingly acquainted. Low inventory ranges are fixed throughout the trade as PC avid gamers scramble to attempt to discover an improve, to say nothing of scalpers gobbling them as much as attempt to squeeze more cash out of individuals.

Add-in board companions and retailers are additionally making an attempt to make as a lot as they’ll out of the scenario, with solely a tiny share of GPUs truly made and bought on the “base value,” flooded out by an order of magnitude extra playing cards made with nigh-useless “upgrades” to drive up the costs.

And that’s earlier than you account for Nvidia and AMD’s potential prioritization of company and startup companions throughout the “AI” increase, mirroring the shortages of the cryptocurrency mining race from a number of years in the past.

It’s a lot simpler to search out a number of playing cards, notably the price range ones… which no person appears to need. That’s very true of playing cards that supply 8GB and 16GB variants, as a result of nobody desires 8GB playing cards when way more highly effective ones can be found for (allegedly) simply $50-100 extra.

Primarily based on what little information has been made publicly obtainable, 16GB variations of the RTX 5060 Ti and the RX 9060 XT are outselling their 8GB variants by greater than ten to at least one. The RTX 5060 is essentially the most simply obtainable card in Players Nexus’ survey… which is smart, as a result of it reviewed very poorly, when it obtained reviewed in any respect (Nvidia didn’t provide it to the media).

The entire video is effectively price a watch. However in the event you don’t have the time and also you want a takeaway…it’s only a dangerous time to be a PC gamer in want of a brand new graphics card. And it doesn’t appear like it’s going to get higher any time quickly.