In brief: In a somewhat ironic state of affairs, graphics cards that were once three times above MSRP are falling so fast they’ll soon be given away free. While that’s obviously an exaggeration, we are seeing prices drop by hundreds of dollars each week, and some cards come with the added incentive of free games.
We already knew that improved availability, much of which is due to people leaving the crypto mining business, is pushing down the prices of graphics cards—below MSRP, in some cases. Moreover, with the next generation of GPUs on their way and economic concerns making consumers wary of splashing out on big purchases, Nvidia is stuck with an excess of high-end cards. This has led to the launch of a “promotional pricing” offer for the RTX 3080 12GB and above, further lowering prices.
The situation has seen GPUs from retailers, as well as new graphics cards on eBay, getting cheaper. Newegg shows flagship RTX 3090 Ti models, which recently saw its Founders Edition reduced by $400, available from $1,400. The cheapest RTX 3090 model, meanwhile, is an Asus TUF going for $1,199
Elsewhere, there’s an RTX 3080 Ti Ventus that’s $899 with the $30 rebate, while the RTX 3080 12GB, a card Nvidia is rumored to have killed off in order to shift more 10GB variants, is available for $769, but you’ll only pay $739 after using the rebate. If that isn’t enticing enough, both cards are part of Nvidia’s latest GPU bundle.
Nvidia GPU Pricing Trends
Average Sale Price of eBay Completed Listings, New Products, 3rd Week of Month
Nvidia’s bundle deal, which covers select models of the RTX 3080, 3080 Ti, 3090, and 3090 Ti, includes four games: Doom Eternal and both The Ancient Gods expansions, and Ghostwire: Tokyo. The Ancient Gods Part 1 and Part 2 don’t require the Doom Eternal base title, so they’re technically standalone games.
As Nvidia’s promotion only applies to its higher-end cards, there aren’t many discounts on mid-range RTX 3000 products, though you can still grab an RTX 3070 (MSI Ventus GeForce) for $524 on Amazon.
The dilemma facing most gamers now is whether to upgrade to a well-priced RTX 3000 series or wait and see what price vs. performance ratios the upcoming RTX 4000 cards offer.