If you missed the brief window where graphics cards weren't quite so stupidly expensive, but were still stupidly hard to get hold of, I'm sorry, but it's already been and gone. Despite a drastic fall in GPU prices for both red and green teams between late-May and mid-July, that trend has now reversed and prices are on the rise again. It's not quite as drastic as it was earlier in the year just yet, but it doesn't seem likely to reverse any time soon.
2021 has seen graphics cards become one of the most overpriced and hard-to-get components the world over, with even modest GPU prices rising to as much as 300% in some cases, and averaging around 200% for many. This was down to a combination of poor availability due to global silicon shortages, and cryptocurrency values rising leading to additional interest from miners, as well massive buying from gamers who wanted the huge performance uplifts granted by new gen GPUs from AMD and Nvidia.
That peaked in May, where high-end cards like the RTX 3090 could cost over $3,000, and even much older GTX 1060s and the like, could cost more than their original retail value, despite being years old.
As the value of cryptocurrencies fell, so did demand, and the increased supply from Nvidia and AMD helped bring those prices down to more reasonable levels, levelling them at around 150% their original MSRP. Unfortuantely, though, that didn't last long, with prices now rising almost 15% across the board in the past month and that trend looks set to continue.
Nvidia has previously stated that it belives shortages will last well into 2022, and maybe until 2023. More immediately, there are reports that mid-range GPU stock may decline even further in the next few months.
If you want a new GPU, just keep your eyes peeled and your fingers crossed. The chances of getting one at a good price for the forseeable future seems slim.
