It’s no secret that graphics cards can be an expensive purchase, especially in recent years, but despite the market’s recovery, it’s clear that some models were never a good deal to begin with, even when offered at MSRP.
GPU prices have finally stabilized after months of suffering from artificially inflated price tags, likely caused by an insidious mix of global chip shortages and cryptominer competition.
This is great news for those of us desperate to upgrade our systems or build our first gaming computer, but many seasoned PC gamers and computer enthusiasts have complained that recent generations of graphics cards have become disproportionately expensive.
As reported by Video Cardz (opens in new tab)there is probably more than a grain of truth behind it than 3D Center (opens in new tab) (Germany’s largest GPU website) has compiled price and performance data to prove the real affordability of these cards.
let’s do the math
Using the Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070 as the baseline for the price/performance ratio, each GPU in Nvidia’s Ampere line of cards was benchmarked, with the results of this experiment showing that most of the more powerful graphics cards are overpriced at MSRP when you take performance into account consider. Put simply, this suggests that even if you snag a GPU at the price set by Nvidia, you’re probably still not getting your money’s worth.
| graphic card | MSRP (manufacturer’s standard retail price) | 4K performance index | performance/list | Fair price |
| Geforce RTX 3090 Ti | $1999 | 408% | 41% | $814 |
| GeForce RTX3090 | $1499 | 376% | 50% | $750 |
| Geforce RTX 3080 Ti | $1199 | 366% | 61% | $731 |
| Geforce RTX 3080 10GB | $699 | 330% | 94% | $659 |
| Geforce RTX 3070 Ti | $599 | 271% | 90% | $541 |
| Geforce RTX 3070 | $499 | 250% | 100% | $499 |
| Geforce RTX 3060 Ti | $399 | 217% | 109% | $433 |
| Geforce RTX 3060 | $329 | 165% | 100% | $329 |
| Geforce RTX 3050 | $249 | ~114% | 91% | $228 |
The most obvious example in the table above would be Nvidia’s flagship GPU, the GeForce RTX 3090 Ti, which has a suggested retail price of $1,999 (about £1,600 / AU$2,700). Taking into account actual performance compared to the RTX 3070, 3D Center estimates this GPU to be just $814 (approx.
However, a standout winner is the GeForce RTX 3060 Ti, which actually has a price tag after this experiment lower than average value for money, meaning you get more bang for your buck. Even the RTX 3060 was on par with the RTX 3070 as it appeared to be “worth” its MSRP.
Still, many of the other Nvidia GPUs in this experiment would be considered overpriced, with many of the top-performing cards on offer being significantly more expensive than they should be.
The grass isn’t always red… er, greener
Team Red didn’t get off easy either, as the same comparison across all RDNA2 graphics cards (again versus the RTX 3070’s cost and performance) revealed that every single GPU in their lineup fell short.
Still, AMD’s mid-range pricing seems marginally fair, especially with cards like the Radeon RX 6700 XT and Radeon RX 6800 XT, which are only slightly below their recommended fair price.
| graphic card | MSRP (manufacturer’s standard retail price) | 4K performance index | performance/list | Fair price |
| Radeon RX6950XT | $1099 | 368% | 67% | $735 |
| Radeon RX6900XT | $999 | 348% | 70% | $695 |
| Radeon RX6800XT | $649 | 322% | 99% | $643 |
| Radeon RX6800 | $579 | 278% | 96% | $555 |
| Radeon RX6750XT | $549 | 234% | 85% | $467 |
| Radeon RX6700XT | $479 | 221% | 92% | $441 |
| Radeon RX6650XT | $399 | 167% | 84% | $333 |
| Radeon RX6600XT | $379 | 159% | 84% | $317 |
| Radeon RX6600 | $329 | ~134% | 81% | $267 |
| Radeon RX6500XT | $199 | ~71% | 71% | $140 |
| Radeon RX6400 | $159 | ~54% | 67% | $107 |
Both high-end and entry-level models seem to be hit the hardest (with the notable exception of Nvidia’s RTX 3060 line), but mid-range cards might do better in this experiment since the RTX 3070 was used as a reference – we’ll see drastically different results when using a different GPU like the Radeon RX 6500 XT or GeForce RTX 3080 Ti.
It’s also worth noting that this is just a site’s affordability experiment and should not be taken as official data. Performance isn’t the only metric to consider here, especially as these powerful flagship graphics cards require more specialized cooling solutions and board designs, all of which can add significantly to costs.
Analysis: Is this even a fair comparison?
These days an argument pops up all over the internet, as is tradition when a new generation of graphics cards is on the horizon, that current generation hardware is a bad investment. The problem is that people were saying that two years ago too, and if you weren’t lucky enough to snag a Founder Edition GPU, you probably kicked yourself for not easily accessing the previous RTX 20 series upgraded when you had the opportunity at a reasonable price.
I bang this drum quite a bit, but value can be subjective. At the time of its release, the RTX 3070 Ti didn’t fare particularly well, being overestimated compared to the performance you were getting, but that was at the height of the GPU shortage…if you’ve made it To snag a graphics card at MSRP, you’d probably pay significantly less than a poor git who would give a scalper extra money to make it one Great treat all in all.
Is the RTX 3070 Ti still a bargain? Not so much if you’re buying one today, but the past few months of comparatively affordable PC gaming I’ve been enjoying while GPU prices have been sky-high are priceless to me meand in this scenario, my opinion of value is the only one that matters.
At best, the current generation of cards should fall below the MSRP when the next generation launches, making them a steal, but it’s important to remember that this isn’t guaranteed. If the crypto market recovers and mining rigs become profitable again, we could see a similar series of events leading to another GPU shortage that will drive up the prices of new and old cards alike.
With the upcoming launch of Nvidia Lovelace and AMD RDNA3, we can only hope that the market stays low to give gamers a chance to snag a new GPU after years of battling scalpers, bots, and miners. Otherwise, we could go back to buying pre-built desktop gaming PCs and gaming laptops.