Nvidia and AMD’s high-end graphics cards were expensive in 2020 (if you could find them), but their prices are only rising. And you can thank the government for that.
As of December 31, 2020, GPUs and motherboards are now included in the tariffs imposed by the Trump administration on Chinese imports. These computer components were previously exempt from the said tariffs, but the exceptions expired at the end of 2020 and no extensions were applied. That means prices have risen by as much as 25 percent for high-end GPUs – including Nvidia’s new RTX 3090, 3080, 3070 and 3060 Ti, and AMD’s RX 6800 and RX 6800 XT.
Nvidia and AMD’s latest GPUs were initially almost impossible to buy, as COVID-19 affects the manufacturing and supply chains, leading to more limited products, even available. And retailers usually sell within seconds every time they take stock again, thanks to scalpers and cryptocurrency miners who use bots to buy as many graphics cards as possible.
The purchasing experience has become bad enough that many retailers have implemented anti-bot tactics such as waiting lists, more aggressive human authentication systems, and strict restrictions on how many GPUs customers can buy. However, these rates will only make the process more difficult – and more expensive.if you are lucky enough to get a card.
The rates also not only affect GPUs; SSDs, CPUs, power supply units and other computer components can see price increases between seven and 25 percent, depending on their price. As Tom’s Hardware notesThe price increase for this will probably not be as bad as increasing GPUs, but if you buy or build a new computer or upgrade some parts of an existing rig, you will definitely see a difference.
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Our best advice for anyone who wants to build or upgrade their computer is to buy wisely and thoroughly. You can not avoid the price increases, but you do not need a scratched too expensive GPU on eBay or Facebook Marketplace just because it is available.
Resources such as VideoCardz.com, GPUBoss, Reddit (r / GPU, r / GraphicsCards, r / nvidia, r / amd), Google’s Shopping tab and even Disagreement communities can help you compare specifications and prices and find available stock. At some point, the amount of graphics card will stabilize (we hope) and buying a new graphics card from a legitimate retailer at normal MSRP will be easier – even if the GPU costs more than it did at launch has.
It is also possible that new GPUs are cheaper, or lower the price of current high-end models. In fact, Nvidia is having a press conference tomorrow and there are rumors that more GPUs will be announced. Having more models to choose from can improve your chances of buying the card you want. Buy until then smart, but be prepared to pay a little extra for politics; if you can wait until we can see what a democratic government does to the tariffs, it’s your wallet worth doing.