Whereas common readers of TechRadar may recall me saying this earlier than, the GPU market is in such a poor state that it is one I’ve by no means seen in my lifetime, and I will by no means get uninterested in saying it. Up to date elements like tariffs, the AI increase, and financial uncertainty are current, do not get me incorrect, however the difficulty of overpriced GPUs has been lively lengthy earlier than current sanctions from President Trump.

Based mostly on what I’ve seen over the previous couple of years, it is largely the worth of Nvidia’s third-party GPUs which can be all the time skyrocketing: this was by no means clearer than with the likes of the RTX 4090 and RTX 4080, which each launched throughout the interval of the pandemic. Whereas it is apparent {that a} international emergency like COVID-19 would end in inflated pricing, I’ve not seen the worth of RTX 4090 accomplice playing cards fall under their launch worth within the years following the pandemic, however relatively a rise – and it is a three-year-old card!

That is apart from the purpose: the current launch of the RTX 5000 sequence lineup and AMD’s competing Radeon RX 9000 sequence has proven related outcomes, with the likes of a ‘midrange’ Radeon RX 9070 XT practically reaching $1,000 regardless of its authentic $599 retail worth. If that is not ludicrous, then maybe I am out of contact.

If that is not sufficient to show my level, then I current to you MSI’s Vanguard RTX 5070 Ti, at the moment bought at Newegg for $1,399, greater than double the US MSRP of $749. Sure, you learn that proper. There’s additionally one other supply that takes this determine as much as $1,645, and I do not suppose I must stress how obscene that’s.

Irrespective of which method you need to slice it, $1,399 for a GPU that is alleged to price $749 is the definition of overpriced. In reality, evidently thee difficulty right here stems from the truth that customers are literally paying shut to those costs, as I can infrequently discover any of those new GPUs in inventory.

No matter tariffs, if we preserve shopping for {hardware} at inflated costs, it units a foul precedent for the long run

Once I first obtained my MSI Ventus 3x RTX 3080 Ti throughout the international pandemic, I used to be fortunate to seek out it at its launch worth, nevertheless it was a uncommon alternative on the time. Scalping and demand for Nvidia’s GPUs have been arguably at their peak throughout that interval, with costs ballooning uncontrolled, though I do not recall seeing the identical for AMD’s third-party GPUs.

This was sufficient to make me understand that some retailers and third-party GPU producers could have been utilizing customers’ desperation for an RTX GPU, mixed with widespread instances of brief provide, to their benefit.

Identical to my frustration with Nintendo and the sudden shift to charging $80 for its Swap 2 video games, the identical precept applies to this case. It is one factor to be upset and voice your frustrations about unreasonable worth will increase, but when we proceed shopping for these overpriced merchandise out of desperation, these points will proceed even in occasions when tariffs aren’t inflicting main uncertainty. In different phrases, it is a plea to these with loads of disposable earnings: do not shell out above market worth for a graphics card. Please. You are screwing the remainder of us over.