In the wake of rising DRAM prices, AMD has allegedly notified partners that it will increase the cost of its GPUs by “at least 10%”. While this isn’t an unexpected move, the brand’s alleged response could also indicate an industry-wide response as competitors follow suit. It’s looking very much as though GPU prices are indeed about to go up.
UDN first reported on these potential price increases, citing “industry sources.” While no other outlets have corroborated this rumour, it does echo warnings from one Radeon partner that GPU prices will “kick up” in 2026. That’s not forgetting more extreme claims that entry-level graphics cards could disappear entirely in the wake of higher DRAM prices.
As we’re in the midst of Black Friday sales, I’ve put together a table below to illustrate the potential prices of Radeon RX 9000 Series cards following a 10% increase from their respective launch MSRPs. It’s important to stress that AMD is apparently contemplating hikes of at least 10%, and it’s been difficult to find a Radeon RX 9070 XT at MSRP for many months now, meaning final costs could be higher.
| Launch MSRP | New MSRP (+10%) | |
|---|---|---|
| Radeon RX 9070 XT | $599 | $659 |
| Radeon RX 9070 | $549 | $604 |
| Radeon RX 9060 XT 16GB | $349 | $384 |
| Radeon RX 9060 XT 8GB | $299 | $329 |
As the most expensive card, the Radeon RX 9070 XT naturally sees the biggest increase of $60. That’s double the $30 floor that set by Radeon RX 9060 XT 8GB cards. Of course, this doesn’t account for the buying power of these cards’ intended customers. It’s worth remembering that percentile price increases typically have a greater effect on those aiming to grab less-expensive cards, as it’s hard for these customers to stretch their budgets.
The biggest losers from this potential price increase are the Radeon RX 9070 and RX 9060 XT 8GB. These new MSRPs would rob them of price parity with their closest Nvidia competitors, namely the GeForce RTX 5070 and RTX 5060, respectively. Meanwhile, Radeon RX 9070 XT and RX 9060 XT 16GB cards still remain less-expensive than the GeForce RTX 5070 Ti and RTX 5060 Ti 16GB.
However, this assessment presumes Nvidia won’t similarly increase prices. This seems highly unlikely, particularly given that the GeForce RTX 50 series, bar RTX 5050, uses more-expensive GDDR7 VRAM modules. In all likelihood, I’d expect to see Team Green’s offerings suffer a higher percentile rise in cost than Team Red’s.
Of course, there’s Intel to consider as well. Arc B580 cards use the same GDDR6 chips as Radeon RX 9000-series cards. As such, it seems likely that the budget darling will also endure price rises of at least 10%, pushing its cost from $250 to $275. Even at that higher cost, it would still be my least-expensive graphics card of choice, at least at MSRP.
In short, I wouldn’t wait around if you’re planning a graphics card upgrade anytime soon. Black Friday deals are likely to offer the last chance for consumers to grab anything remotely resembling a deal on a pixel pusher, as there’s no end in sight for this spurt in DRAM demand. Here’s hoping the Steam Machine doesn’t end up costing an arm and a leg too.
I’ll be keeping my eyes fixed on developments within the graphics card market, so make sure to follow Club386 on Google News. I’m also keen to hear your thoughts on this situation on socials, where you’ll find us on Facebook and other platforms.
