Gaming GPU prices had hit a sweet spot just a few months ago, but due to memory shortages and the ever-increasing thirst for AI compute, prices are going through the roof yet again.Looks like another GPU crisis is around the corner, and it's going to take a while before things return to normal.GPUs are getting more expensive by the day Back in late 2025, the gaming GPU market was in a great place.
You could snag most graphics cards, sans the ever-in-demand RTX 5090, at MSRP or even less.It was the perfect time to upgrade your PC.But just a few months later, global memory shortages have slammed the market like a tsunami, triggering abrupt and steep price increases across most current-gen GPUs from NVIDIA, AMD, and Intel.
A quick glance at PCPartPicker's GPU price-trend graphs paints a bleak picture.A few weeks ago, I had planned to whip up a list of decent budget GPUs you could buy for $300 or less, featuring the RTX 5060, as well as two Intel GPUs: the Arc B570 and Arc B580.Every single one of these graphics cards was available for $300 or less, even on Amazon, and you could pick between many different models.
The next best thing, the Radeon RX 9060 XT 8GB, could be found for $310.But about a week ago, I noticed those GPUs got hit with price bumps.As of this writing, PCPartPicket shows that the most affordable RTX 5060 will set you back about $330, while there are only a few Arc B570 and Arc B580 models selling for less than $300.
As for the RX 9060 XT, I've found just one model still available for $310, with the rest starting at ~$340.The only near-MSRP 8GB card I could find is the RTX 5060 Ti, with a few models still selling for ~$379.Then you've got the RTX 5070, which will set you back at least $600, $50 over its MSRP, with the majority of models boasting even higher prices.
The situation with the 16GB version of the RTX 5060 Ti is even worse, with most variants costing at least $100 over MSRP.Then you've got high-end GPUs.Grabbing an RTX 5070 Ti for less than $1,000 is akin to winning a lottery, with the RTX 5080 starting at around $1,400, which is bonkers.
Lastly, you've got the RTX 5090, the price of which was insane even before the latest wave of price increases.But now the most affordable models of NVIDIA's flagship gaming GPU are selling for around $3,600, with many models breaking the $4,000 barrier.Related Stop obsessing over your GPU: These 4 upgrades matter more If you feel like your PC is falling below expectations, try upgrading these things before looking at the GPU Posts 1 By Timothy Jacob Hudson Prices won't return to normal anytime soon Now, it’s not as though we haven’t seen a similar situation before, when Intel, NVIDIA, and AMD launched this generation of graphics cards.
For months, finding most GPUs at MSRP was next to impossible.The thing is, high prices are normal during the launch window, when supply is tight and demand is high.Over time, supply catches up with demand and prices return to normal, which is exactly what happened in late 2025.
But the latest deluge of price increases is driven by global memory shortages.The first victim of the AI data center memory voracity was consumer RAM, soon followed by SSDs.Since the same three manufacturers (Samsung, SK Hynix, and Micron) produce DRAM used in RAM sticks and GPUs, and NAND chips used in SSDs, shortages are affecting every product that includes a lot of memory and storage, including graphics cards.
Until recently, graphics card prices had been kept in check because NVIDIA, AMD, and Intel, who sell GPU makers like ASUS and MSI kits that include both the GPU die and memory, source that memory through long-term contracts.However, those memory reserves have now dried up, forcing them to pay ludicrous prices for memory, just like the rest of the industry.This means the GPU+memory kits are getting more expensive, which in turn leads to end products (graphics cards) being pricier as well.
In other words, we shouldn't expect graphics card prices to return to normal as long as the RAM-pocalypse persists, which likely won't happen anytime soon.But it gets worse.Related RAM is $400 and GPUs are $3,700: The PC market has officially crashed The next PC crash is already here, and none of us are prepared Posts 2 By Monica J.
White High prices are likely to be compounded by shortages Graphics cards getting more expensive and staying there sounds bad enough, but that's not all.Along with high prices, we'll likely have to deal with GPU shortages.Firstly, NVIDIA now has to pay through the nose for memory and since its gaming GPUs make much less profit than enterprise GPUs, such as the H200, the company is likely to cut gaming GPU supply by 20% to 40%.
Next, the RTX 50 Super series is nowhere to be found, even though it was supposed to launch during CES 2026, with NVIDIA putting it on ice for now.Lastly, according to Der8auer, NVIDIA has ended the program it had with its GPU vendors, which allowed them to offer some GPUs at MSRP.Not only that, it looks like the company is slowing RTX 5070 Ti production in favor of the RTX 5080 while increasing the RTX 5080's price by around 50%.
Certain graphics cards, like the RTX 5070 Ti and RTX 5060 Ti 16GB, are already hard to find.Even if you do find them in stock, you'll have to pay a fortune for them, and everything points to the fact that they will be even harder to find and even more expensive in the future.Subscribe to the newsletter for GPU market insight Want clearer context? Subscribing to the newsletter delivers focused coverage of GPU price surges, memory shortages, vendor shifts, and buying implications so you can understand market moves and compare options with informed analysis.
Subscribe By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.You can unsubscribe anytime.The shortages aren’t affecting only regular buyers.
Some GPU vendors, such as Zotac, are under extreme pressure, with their survival in question as soaring component prices and looming GPU shortages threaten their ability to do business as usual.If the worst happens and some GPU vendors go under, the repercussions would mean less competition—and, in turn, even higher GPU prices.Over at AMD and Intel, the situation isn't as grave.
Their GPUs have received price hikes, but are easier to find than many NVIDIA options.How long this will last isn't clear, though.If memory shortages continue (and they likely will), AMD and Intel slashing their GPU production is on the cards.
There are still a few solid GPUs to get, for now If you're thinking about upgrading your graphics card, be vigilant and do it as soon as possible.One silver lining here is that there are still a few GPUs worth purchasing, for now.You can find a few RTX 5060 models selling for around 10% premium over MSRP, which is a pretty solid price at the moment.
More than a few RX 9070 XT models are available for less than $750, making it the best bang-for-buck option right now.Lastly, a few Arc B570 models are selling for ~$250, which is only $30 above MSRP.The gaming GPU market is in dire straits yet again.
If you managed to secure a GPU before all this chaos, kudos to you.Just be sure to take good care of it; you’ll likely have to hold onto it for quite some time.
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