GPU costs are uncontrolled once more

Once in a while, Central Computer systems — one of many final remaining devoted Silicon Valley laptop shops — lets subscribers realize it’s managed to acquire a small cargo of AMD graphics playing cards. At this time, it knowledgeable me that I might now buy a $600 Radeon RX 9070 XT for $850 — a $250 markup.

It’s not alone. I simply checked each main US retailer and avenue costs on eBay, and I remorse to tell you: the good GPU scarcity has returned. Many AMD playing cards are being marked up $100, $200, $250, even $280. The road value of an Nvidia RTX 5080 is now over $1,500, a full $500 increased than MSRP. And an RTX 5090, essentially the most highly effective shopper GPU? You’ll be able to’t even get the $2,000 card for $3,000 as we speak.

Right here, I’ve constructed tables to indicate you:

You shouldn’t simply blame tariffs for these value hikes. In early March, we discovered retailers had been already scalping their supposedly entry-level MSRP fashions of the brand new AMD graphics playing cards. Neither is this more likely to simply be excessive demand, given how few playing cards are altering palms on eBay: solely round 1,100 new Nvidia GPUs, and round 266 new AMD GPUs had been listed there over the previous 30 days.

Right here’s a deeper dive on the “MSRP” fashions of the AMD playing cards, which had been all initially listed at $549 or $599:

I’ve centered this desk on Newegg and Micro Middle since they carry extra fashions than some other retailer, although I additionally noticed “MSRP” 9070 XT playing cards at $800 and $850 at Amazon as we speak, and an $830 card at Greatest Purchase. In any other case, these are the brand new sticker costs, not essentially attainable costs, as most had been out of inventory.

From December 2020 to July 2022, I periodically tracked the costs of recreation consoles and GPUs in the course of the covid-19 pandemic, after they had been extremely costly to acquire. At one level, some GPUs had been value triple their MSRP. I’d love to listen to from Verge subscribers specifically: is that this a helpful service we should always proceed within the tariff period? Or do you simply wish to know when it’s secure to enter the water once more?