Why, exactly, are graphics cards so expensive?
With every new GPU launch comes the same refrain: nice card, shame about the price. Everyone seems to agree that PC graphics cost too much, so are $600 GPUs the new mainstream reality? Is there no going back on four-figure prices for higher-performing boards? Or is there hope for something approaching a return to what you might call historical pricing models?
The good news is that graphics card prices today are lower than they were 18 months ago. Back then, mid-range cards cost over $1,000, and anything remotely high-end was megabucks. But all that was a consequence of some once-in-a-generation factors, not least of which were the pandemic, a cryptocurrency craze, and a war in Europe.
But the impact of those events, on the graphics card market, at least, has largely—if not entirely— passed. But here we are in 2023, and certain GPU models are still priced at nearly double their immediate predecessors. So is this all just a long, painful hangover, and prices are trending back to historical norms? Or has something fundamentally changed in PC graphics?
IF THE QUESTION WE’RE ASKING HERE is what the heck is going on with GPU prices, the first and most obvious observation is that graphics cards are now outliers in the PC hardware market. The pandemic and war in Europe had very broad impacts on everything from supply chains to demand for stay-at-home technology, as well as inflation in a general sense.
This story is from the June 2023 edition of Maximum PC.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the June 2023 edition of Maximum PC.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
NZXT H6 Flow
Possibly the best budget chassis out there
Intel's crazy plan for 1nm silicon
FIVE NEW CHIP PRODUCTION NODES in four years. That was Intel’s plan to get back to technology leadership. It has now added a new 1nm lithography node to its roadmap, due in 2027. But here's the thing: in terms of products to buy, Intel has achieved little of its original plan. So, what’s going on?
BIG TECH IN TROUBLE IN EUROPE
The EU isn't happy with the big players
THE BUILDS
IT FINALLY LOOKS like prices are stabilizing somewhat, certainly compared to last issue.
Dragon's Dogma 2
A cult classic in the making
NZXT Function 2
Ultra-fast, fully configurable, and relatively affordable
liyama GCB3480WQSU-B1 Red Eagle
The gaming goliath youre after?
Nvidia GeForce RTX 4080 Super
The $999 card that’s really $1,200
HOW TO
Ever needed to get rid of your fixed desktop icons, or add them back in? Did you download Minibin because you just hate that Recycling Bin icon on your desktop? Click the Start menu, type
COPILOT PRO & COPILOT FOR MICROSOFT 365
Why Copilot is great, when it’s awful and which version you should buy