How they trick us with graphics cards

Graphics cards have been increasing in price for five years and the levels that we have reached in 2023 make no sense or justification.
On average, a GPU of the same range costs twice as much today as it did in 2017.
As graphics cards become cheaper and available through big box stores and assemblers. You can now choose from different models, finishes and brands. A year ago it was unthinkable, since the mining fever took away any available GPU.

The market at the time reacted as it usually does, raising prices uninterruptedly while demand did not stop. This increased profits for manufacturers, while gamers suffered from shortages and prices.
It’s no secret that many cards released primarily in 2021 were overpriced from the start. Both AMD and NVIDIA chose highly inflated official prices. Because they knew they would sell regardless of the price of these GPUs.

However, it is about time that both companies realized that their prices are no longer competitive and never were. The collapse of the mining bubble has brought them a jug of cold water that leaves a clear message graphics cards are not worth what they cost.

High-end GPUs are not worth their money

According to the calculations of 3DCenter, which has chosen the RTX 3070 as its benchmark (the best-selling mid/high-end card of the last two years). Most of NVIDIA’s high-end models are overpriced and should cost much less.

If we look at the prices of the latest NVIDIA releases we can see how they have applied from the green company to a post-mined sector. Where the stock of graphics cards is abundant and there is no shortage.
The RTX 4090. The most powerful graphics card in the gamer world, has come out at an official price of about 2,000 euros. This being the most expensive ever released for gaming in NVIDIA history.

And the RTX 4080 , the second best card in the world for gaming, costs an average of 1,500 euros right now. And all this is with a multitude of stock and without any fever of miners taking over all the models.
The reality of the sector, the economic situation and the lack of buyers has made NVIDIA lower its expectations and its prices. At launch they have dropped an average of 100/200 euros. A really insufficient reduction.

Only mid-range graphics cards are worth it

The mid-range models could be considered well-priced, especially the RTX 3060 Ti model , which offers superior performance for what it costs. Right now they can be found for 460 euros, which is 200 euros less than last year.

The mid-range, which we would say is made up of those GPUs that allow you to play at good fps values with good graphic quality. In this generation we would say that they are the RTX 3060 Ti and the RX 6600 XT. And only these two have a price that is worth paying.

Between 350 and 500 euros are the GPUs that best manage the balance between paying and receiving what is expected. Right now, any player who gets hold of one of these cards will be making a good buy.
Unfortunately, the entry range is still very expensive. For those gamers who want to set up a computer to play undemanding games and who want to spend just enough money. The input cards (RTX 3050 or RX 6500 XT) are well above. What they should be: from 250 to 350 euros when not they should exceed €200.

A very black future for gamers

Unfortunately, neither AMD nor NVIDIA are officially preparing a downgrade. However industry players (MSI, Gigabyte, ASUS, EVGA, etc.) are eagerly waiting for it to be announced soon.
Time is ticking as the large stock of RTX 3000 and RX6000 cards is no longer a surprise to anyone and retailers have months to sell out most current-gen GPUs before gamers’ attention turns to the next generation (RTX 4000 and RX 7000).