We're getting close to mid-2022, and here's a quick look at graphics card prices for AMD and NVIDIA. Are things finally normalizing as everybody hoped they would?
rtx 3080 rx 6800 xt
The quick answer is yes. But that's not the entire story since there are multiple forces at play here. For one, it's no longer Team Red and Team Green dominating the field: there's also the long-heralded arrival of Team Blue: Intel and its Arc graphics cards, albeit in a mobile package, for the meantime.
GPU Stocks Are Night-And-Day
According to PCGamer, GPU stocks are now "so good" that there is great confidence in insanely overpriced graphics cards finally going back down to earth. There seems to be almost always GPUs in stock in major U.S., U.K., and EU retailers, and it's not just the big boys who are sitting on shelves.
Even higher-end graphics cards have been seen in stock at the aforementioned retailers. What's even more amazing is that there seems to be far better availability of models and versions from different AMD and NVIDIA AIB partners.
So do you want a Gigabyte Aorus card? You got it. Do you want an ASUS Strix? You can get one.
This variety in GPU stocks is simply impossible if you go back to last year, which can also lead to a massive price drop within the next few months. But for now, the prices remain out of reach for most people, with the only ones remaining in SRP (or even below SRP) being the entry-level graphics cards.
SRP/Below SRP Pricing Is Only For Cheapos-For Now
As far back as late February, AMD's brand-new (but not-so-fancy) RX 6500 XT was spotted selling for below MSRP in Europe. Tom's Hardware reports that a few specific 6500 XT models were selling for as low as €199 (around $219 US at the time of this writing), with the most expensive ones topping out at €249 ($275 US). AMD's original MSRP for the RX 6500 XT was set at $200.
rx 6500 xt
The pricing, however, hasn't changed much in the US as of late. If you visit Newegg right now, for example, the cheapest RX 6500 XT is the ASRock Phantom Gaming D model, priced at $224.99. The most expensive one is the PowerColor Fighter 6500 XT, which fetches $339-far too overpriced for its lackluster gaming performance.
Read also: Graphics Card Specs 101: The Most Important Ones EXPLAINED
What About The Big Boys?
As for the higher-end models from NVIDIA and AMD are still far from close to MSRP, but they're certainly closer than they've ever been. And this is true even for street pricing on sites like eBay, where scalpers' prices gouge like crazy.
TechRadar recently shared a few of the lowest graphics card prices they recently saw across a slew of major retailers. On Amazon, you can expect to get an RTX 3080 for around $1900, which is still more than double the original MSRP but far better than its peak prices from last year.
rtx 3080
The relatively "cheaper" ones are from AMD's RX 6000 series and even NVIDIA's older RTX 20-series cards. For one, Amazon has been found to list the RX 6800 non-XT for as low as $1049; Newegg currently lists an ASUS RTX 2080 for $1140, and there's currently an MSI RTX 3070 Ventus 2X selling on Amazon right now, April 2nd, for $789.99.
Even GPU Makers Are Lowering Graphics Card Prices
Around a week ago, ASUS caused quite a stir in the PC gaming community. The company announced that they would reduce GPU prices "aggressively" across all of their models, which likely helped PC gamers breathe a collective sigh of relief-the first big one they've had in almost two years.
As reported by Tom's Hardware, ASUS plans to cut its GPU prices by as much as 25% starting this month. The main reason is the lifting of tariffs on Chinese imports by the United States government, and weirdly not the reported easing of overall GPU stock.
However, the company clarified that the 25% price drop would not apply to every GPU model. They mentioned that the figure is labeled as "up to," meaning that it's the maximum price cut they can give for selected GPUs. Some models may see even smaller price drops, but a price cut is a price cut.
Related: Graphics Cards Names EXPLAINED: What Is GTX, RTX, Etc...
Story posted on GameNGuide
Written by RJ Pierce