Potential Price Hikes for AMD Graphics Cards
Recent reports suggest that consumers may soon face higher prices for AMD graphics cards. The surge in DRAM prices over the past few months has had a ripple effect across the tech industry, leading to increased costs for a variety of products. Now, it appears that AMD GPUs could be the next to feel the pinch.
This situation poses a particular challenge for AMD, as the company strives to close the gap with Nvidia in the competitive graphics card market. Maintaining a price advantage has been essential for AMD to attract gamers and remain a viable option. For instance, in our review of the RX 9070 XT, we highlighted it as the best graphics card available for most gamers, largely due to its appealing MSRP. However, since its launch, the RX 9070 XT has often sold for significantly more than its 9 MSRP, especially in the U.S. market. Only recently have some models begun to approach this price point.
Currently, one of the few options available at its MSRP is the ASRock Challenger Radeon RX 9070 XT, which can be found at Walmart for 9.99. However, securing a card at this price is becoming increasingly rare, and reports indicate that this may soon become impossible.
According to a post on the Chinese discussion board Board Channels, which is known for GPU leaks, AMD is expected to implement another price increase following a minor adjustment in October. This time, however, it appears that the burden of the price hike will fall on gamers rather than being absorbed by graphics card manufacturers.
While the exact details regarding the magnitude of the price increases and their timing remain unclear, the leaker suggests that they will impact the next shipment of GPUs and VRAM that AMD supplies to its board partners. AMD typically sells its GPUs and VRAM as a bundled package to these partners, who then complete the assembly of the graphics cards, including components like the PCB and cooler.
The prospect of rising prices is undoubtedly concerning, particularly in light of the significant DRAM price increases witnessed recently. However, it is important to note that this information is still speculative and should be approached with caution. For those contemplating a graphics card purchase, it may be wise to seize current deals, as even the upcoming Black Friday sales might not yield the anticipated bargains.
