Nvidia graphics cards will soon get cheaper according to some fresh gossip from the grapevine, which comes off the back of other positive indications we’ve seen recently that GPU pricing is finally easing.
Apparently, Nvidia is telling third-party graphics card makers that it’s going to pass on a decrease in costs to the tune of around 8% to 12% – so about 10% or so – a reduction that’s expected to be further passed on to system builders and consumers alike.
That’s the word from Wccftech which has tapped its inside sources for this info, and notes that gamers can expect to see the beneficial effect on Nvidia GPU prices in the “next few weeks” (though existing stock that retailers already have will, of course, need to be taken into account, as these were bought at higher prices).
Obviously, this is just a rumor and as such needs to be viewed with some skepticism, but it’s certainly believable that Team Green is indeed finding it cheaper to manufacture GPUs now, and that these savings can thus be passed on.
Analysis: Cause for optimism, but let’s not get carried away
Assuming there’s truth in this rumor, whether the full reduction in costs will be passed on to end customers – and whether that 10% or so figure is accurate – obviously remains to be seen, but this speculation is at least some further cause for optimism in a GPU climate which is slowly showing more positive signs of late.
Remember, we saw as recently as yesterday that our sister site, Tom’s Hardware, has found with its tracking of graphics card prices that many current-gen GPUs have dropped by around 6% to 12% compared to a month ago, and price tags of some cards have fallen even more substantially, such as AMD’s RX 5500 XT which witnessed a huge 20% drop.
Another recent report based on the German market also shows that GPU prices have sunk to their lowest levels in over a year, with a consistent downward trend over the last few months. Furthermore, as we observed earlier this month, there’s a distinct drop in pricing on eBay for popular Nvidia RTX models, and we advised that the best policy is to wait rather than pull the trigger on a GPU now – as pricing is likely to drop further, as all these other indications are already suggesting.
Playing the waiting game is likely an even better bet, too, when you consider that Intel is soon set to enter the market with its Arc Alchemist graphics cards, spiking overall GPU stock levels up by a good amount with any luck – certainly the rumors we’ve heard hint that this will be a big launch with plenty of product on tap from Team Blue. And more affordable newer GPUs coming onto the market will mean more second-hand purchases are resold, as folks get rid of stopgap cards on auction sites, with those used prices coming down further, as well, no doubt.
We shouldn’t get carried away with this optimism, of course, because the supply chain remains a somewhat volatile landscape right now, but all these little signs are adding up, and hopefully represent the early shoots of the much talked about second half of 2022 recovery for hardware shortages (and GPUs in particular, with both AMD and Nvidia predicting an H2 recovery).
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