PowerColor Reddit moderator has shared some important information in a recent post, encouraging potential GPU buyers to keep an eye out and not miss the upcoming holiday sales. It seems that next year will mark an increase in graphics card prices due to the ongoing high memory demand.
According to PowerColorSteven, this Black Friday may be the last chance you get to buy a GPU at a good price, encouraging those on the fence to “buy before the last week of the year before prices kick up.” This message indirectly confirms previous reports from Board Channels, which indicated that GPU makers are planning to increase pricing as a response to the unexpected price hikes of memory products, which include the GDDR6 chips used by Radeon 9000 Series. This is an unfortunate turn of events, considering that current-gen GPUs have just started selling at their official MSRP.
For those who didn’t follow, the memory market, especially DRAM, is under heavy demand due to the interest in AI. With multiple gigawatt AI facilities set to be constructed in a short duration, memory manufacturers haven’t been able to react quickly and increase production to keep up with demand. As a result, everyone is fighting for the same resources, driving prices up.
To get an idea, DRAM contract prices rose roughly 170% year-over-year, with GDDR6 increasing by around 30% as manufacturers shift their capacity to AI products such as HBM. The impact on consumers can already be felt with DRAM, as some DDR5 kits jumped by up to 168% compared to just a couple of months ago.
While it is unclear if other brands will follow suit, considering that AMD and Nvidia sell bundled GPUs and GDDR memory to their partners, we don’t see how other companies can avoid this situation, unless they take the hit in their profit margin, which is unlikely. At least the situation shouldn’t be like during the crypto boom, where many were forced to fight for GPUs regardless of their funds.
Expect the biggest retailer discounts around Black Friday week, so I’d encourage you not to wait around if you find the model you want. Also, to be sure, don’t forget to use price history tools such as CamelCamelCamel to get notified whenever your desired GPU hits a new low.
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