Current Nvidia RTX 3000 GPU prices are so much worse than we thought
So much for ‘budget-friendly’ performance
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If you’ve been waiting for the release of theNvidia GeForce RTX 3000series to upgrade your elderly machine, or start your first gaming build then it sadly looks like the great graphics card drought may continue for some time.Prices for GPUs like theRTX 3080on auction sites likeeBayhave skyrocketed last month from an average of $1,300 -$1,500, reaching an eyewatering median of $2,069 by March 3. And these aren’t just the list prices – it appears that some desperate consumers are actually buying the cards at these crazy markups.TheRTX 3080video cards have a typical recommended retail price of $699 to $869 (dependant on what manufacturer you buy from), which means many listings are currently bumping the product to over twice its stated value.
Data for the inflation comes from data engineer Michael Driscoll, who has also previously reported on similar issues faced by console fans. When speaking toPCMag, he noted that the numbers began to drop around the release of the RTX 3060, Nvidias latest affordable GPU.“The prices stopped going up exactly when the 3060 launched, so that can’t be a coincidence, not a huge drop, but significant. For the increases, I have no way of confirming this, but I know many employers give out year-end bonuses in February, and people are starting to file and receive tax returns, which could be driving some of the price increase.”
Dark times ahead for PC builders
While cryptominers are notsolelyto blame for the insane inflation we’re seeing, it’s certainly a contributing factor. We’ve seen a boom in folk using these new RTX cards incryptominingfarms since the 3000 series launched in late 2020, and evengaming brands such as Zotacseem to have no issues on if their product actually gets into the hands of gamers or miners.It’s too early to tell if theproducts being released by Nvidiato limit the card’s ability to mine cryptocurrencies will actually have an impact on available stock or scalped prices on auction sites, but we’re not holding out that things will get better any time soon.
ViaExtreme tech
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Jess is a former TechRadar Computing writer, where she covered all aspects of Mac and PC hardware, including PC gaming and peripherals. She has been interviewed as an industry expert for the BBC, and while her educational background was in prosthetics and model-making, her true love is in tech and she has built numerous desktop computers over the last 10 years for gaming and content creation. Jess is now a journalist at The Verge.
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