As the market continues to fluctuate, many are hopeful for stabilization in both prices and availability, especially as production ramps up and new models are released. However, for the time being, the skyrocketing prices of GPUs remain a pressing issue for many in the technology space.
GPU prices over the last few months have risen drastically, and gamers, creators, and tech fans have been concerned about this. This is as a result of a number of reasons, including ongoing high demand for gaming and cryptocurrency mining, supply chain disruption, and the global semiconductor shortage. With increasing numbers of people turning to gaming and high-performance computing, high-performance GPU demand has gone through the roof. Apart from the gamers looking for the latest graphics cards for gaming, cryptocurrency miners are also competing with GPUs to increase their mining. The total demand has made the market very competitive. On the supply side, the semiconductor industry could not adjust to the situation because of the pandemic, trade issues, and natural disasters halting production. These have limited not only GPU but also other electronic components‘ manufacture, further limiting the supply chain. This has resulted in a shortage of stock in shops, leading to an increase in secondary market prices. The manufacturers also have rising raw material costs and postponed productions, adding to the high retail prices. As a result, even mid-range GPUs which previously fell in the budget category now fetch premium prices. The buyers are then left to navigate a tough market, typically being unable to purchase GPUs at the recommended retail price. Most end up having to resort to online resellers where the prices can be significantly higher. The scenario has brought into question market controls and the need for more transparency in the pricing process.
Related stories
https://www.tomshardware.com/news/lowest-gpu-prices
https://stekhn.github.io/gpu-price-surge-analysis/
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