Absurd GPU Pricing Update: Q1 2026 Edition

[bclaymiles]

Well, as long as Pc Gamers keep behaving like the FOMO driven 1diots they are, then someone will always be there to take advantage of their stupidity...

If playing video games is the most important thing in your life and will convince you to drop absurd amounts of cash on GPUs, RAM and SSDs then you need to take a long hard look at yourself in the mirror and ask yourself what's gone wrong.

Even if it might be "the most important thing in your life" (with rare exception, it is not), what, specifically, is "wrong" with that?

And what, specifically, is "wrong" with doing something you enjoy, and have worked your arse off so you could buy the hardware to do it?

 

[BadThad]

RX6800 still going strong, I can ride this one out.

 

[Norbe]

I just went back to playing indie games from years ago and Old School Runescape, I can't be assed with this bleeding edge hardware trap anymore.

 

[RaXelliX]

Yet, still not a single card worth upgrading from a 3080Ti in that entire list, even when they were at "MSRP".

Pretty much. Only 4090 and 5090 would substantially improve your gaming performance. Even the 52% offered by the 5080 is not worth it considering it's price.

3080 Ti launched in 2021. I swapped out my 2080 Ti from 2018 to 9070 XT last year. I paid 755€ and got nearly 80% faster card.

The gap between 2018 and 2021 is 3 years so I guess you have to wait until 2H 2027 or whenever 60 series and RDNA5 launch to get a meaningful upgrade. God knows what the prices will be t that point...

A substantially faster product at the same price point exists so if you needed something faster it's there. Not great value, but not terrible neither at MSRP.

52% is not substantially faster in my eyes. Sometimes I even barely notice my 80% faster card.

There are a lot of good upgrades from 3080Ti. Both 9070XT and 5080 are such.
-9070 XT is faster, more efficient, many designs near silent, has RT and quality upscaling features.

9070 XT is a good card, but mere 30% faster than 3080 Ti so completely meaningless unless the user is really limited by the 12GB VRAM on the 3080 Ti.

-5080 all of the above with more performance and better frame gen and of course costing more money, but 3080Ti also wasn't cheap or the best cost-performance ratio, so I don't see why its successor should be if you buy one.

5080 is one of the worst current gen models even at MSRP which was about as rare as full planetary alignment or heavy snowfall in an African desert. If a user has 1300+ laying around they should put it into an investment account because god knows next gen GPU's will be hella expensive and this 1300+ would make nice downpayment.

 

[AdamNovagen]

RX6800 still going strong, I can ride this one out.

7900XT here, got for $650 by combining sales with an Amazon card sign-up bonus. Every single day that passes, I consider myself increasingly lucky with how these trends are going.

 

[ActualViking]

Your comment lacks credibility as all countries have had similar increases. We also know some direct drivers unrelated to tariffs.

I did not say prices aren't up elsewhere, they clearly are only it is not the same percentages everywhere.
And the overall economic numbers aren't the same everywhere either, pretending otherwise is like pretending no president has ever suggested injecting bleach to treat Covid. You may not like my comment, but look at the numbers - they matter. Look at US inflation vs. EU ones or look at currency exchange rates where the US$ has lost 10% vs. the Euro in a year.

 

[ActualViking]

Youre just regurgitating propoganda.
Inflation went up 10% under Biden. Its cooled under Trump. The US isnt losing money and current RAM and GPU prices aren't high due to any tariff or foreign policy, the prices have been very high for years. AI is forcing high demand and low supply, directly impacting pricing. Some companies have pulled out of making consumer RAM completely.

??? The value of the $ is down by 10% if not more since the corrupt clown got back in office, the national deficit has hit a record high... how do you figure the US isn't losing?

 

[Septimus]

Yet, still not a single card worth upgrading from a 3080Ti in that entire list, even when they were at "MSRP".

Even before the price increases, needing to spend $1K or more on a GPU that actually makes a meaningful gain in performance is not money well spent. Not to mention the awful showing of 5XXX series with power cable melting issues (even applies to the couple of 9070XT models that use it), driver issues and the black screen issues.....yeah, you couldn't pay me to use a Blackwell GPU.

With how things are going, this Ampere may very well be the last gaming GPU I ever buy. The next gen of GPU isn't going to see the light of day until late 2027, if we're lucky, from the current rumors going around. With how pricing is jumping I'd venture to guess all models that come out will see a solid 15% increase over what we currently call "MSRP".

Then, with how poor they've done (all sides) with performance gains I'd venture to guess that a RTX xx70 model might outdo my 3080Ti by 15%. Maybe AMD might be a good upgrade direction if they have another xx70XT model and they give a 15-20% gain over the current 9070XT model while keeping a similar price; that could be a decent upgrade.

Which is why GeForce Now is priced so competitively, Nvidia don’t want you owning anything. Usual drug dealer approach.

 

[amstech]

??? The value of the $ is down by 10% if not more since the corrupt clown got back in office, the national deficit has hit a record high...

False.

 

[ActualViking]

False.

Sorry. You're right, it is more than a 10% lose in value.
2025-02-19: $1=0.95€
2026-02-19: $1=0.85€
https://www.tradingview.com/symbols/USDEUR/
And as for the debt
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_debt_of_the_United_States
https://www.usdebtclock.org/
and it is becoming a real burden
https://fortune.com/2026/02/14/us-d...ate-treasury-bond-yields-economic-growth-gdp/

That is of course not the only factors, there is also the whole tariff mess, the inflation and also just the normal supply and demand playing a part.

 

[amstech]

Sorry. You're right, it is more than a 10% lose in value.
2025-02-19: $1=0.95€
2026-02-19: $1=0.85€
https://www.tradingview.com/symbols/USDEUR/
And as for the debt
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_debt_of_the_United_States
https://www.usdebtclock.org/
and it is becoming a real burden
https://fortune.com/2026/02/14/us-d...ate-treasury-bond-yields-economic-growth-gdp/

That is of course not the only factors, there is also the whole tariff mess, the inflation and also just the normal supply and demand playing a part.

All false.
Inflation only rose under Biden.
The Country has always been in massive debt.
Dems have had the white house the past 12 of 17 years.

 

[ActualViking]

All false.
Inflation only rose under Biden.
The Country has always been in massive debt.
Dems have had the white house the past 12 of 17 years.

"All false"!?
So the value of the $ has not dropped more than 10% under Donald 2.0? The debt haven't risen to a record level and keeps rising?
I guess you will also claim the earth is flat and that Donald isn't corrupt

 

[amstech]

"All false"!?
So the value of the $ has not dropped more than 10% under Donald 2.0? The debt haven't risen to a record level and keeps rising?
I guess you will also claim the earth is flat and that Donald isn't corrupt

Youre just regurgitating propoganda.

 

[ActualViking]

Youre just regurgitating propoganda.

Follow the links I posted earlier, there you'll see the numbers I have mentioned. And if you want more sources then do your own searches, you will find the same numbers everywhere because they are facts and not opinions, not propaganda.

 

[ScottSoapbox]

All false.
Inflation only rose under Biden.
The Country has always been in massive debt.
Dems have had the white house the past 12 of 17 years.

ROFL!!

We've had historic inflation under Biden and Trump. Anyone trying to buy things since covid is aware of this. Denying it suggests you are a bot or a human indistinguishable from a bot.

 

[ScottSoapbox]

Well the 5070s aren't as cheap as they were when this was written (4 days ago). As you can only find "refurbished" cards near MSRP. The rest are $600+

The AI world keeps getting better at a rapid pace!

 

[BadThad]

7900XT here, got for $650 by combining sales with an Amazon card sign-up bonus. Every single day that passes, I consider myself increasingly lucky with how these trends are going.

Strong buy my friend! I built my new system near the start of the video card crisis. I was able to get a voucher to stand in line at Microcenter at 8AM for a chance to get a video card. Yes, you couldn't even get in line without "pre-approval" and you were not guaranteed a card after standing in line. As I recall, the plain RX6800 16GB was the best choice under $1000 and they only had 3.... it was $945 OTD. The nvidia cards weren't even worth consideration, I think the cheapest was $1200 and the RX6800 smoked it.

 

[BadThad]

Youre just regurgitating propoganda.
Inflation went up 10% under Biden. Its cooled under Trump. The US isnt losing money and current RAM and GPU prices aren't high due to any tariff or foreign policy, the prices have been very high for years. AI is forcing high demand and low supply, directly impacting pricing. Some companies have pulled out of making consumer RAM completely.

Please don't feed the TDS trolls. Facts don't matter to them, just the fantasy inside their leftist bubble of regurgitated falsehoods and ignorance.

We're all making a stronger effort to AVOID political discussion as much as possible on TS. It's nothing but toxic. This is a tech site. I realize there is some crossover for certain articles but it's just not worth it IMO. Also, keep in mind, a lot of these folks are not in the USA. Their knowledge of what's happening here is HIGHLY filtered and biased in their media. All they see is hate which is the most toxic way to view life in general - SAD.

 

[rodgerzijie]

Good