At the beginning of the year, we decided to take a look into the prices of graphics cards. Based on the cryptocurrency trend that boomed in December, we had seen throughout the year a pretty hefty increase in prices. Given that we are now 6 months on and the Bitcoin price is worth about a third of its peak, we have decided to revisit this to see if prices have gotten at least a little more sensible.
With AMD not planning to release a new GPU until at least Summer 2019 and Nvidia keeping us waiting over the 11XX series, is now the right time to get that upgrade?
Lets check out the increases, decreases and those that stubbornly refuse to budge!
Starting things off with a nice and simple entry-level graphics card. Coming in at the low-end of the Nvidia 10 series, 1050 to many is an excellent gateway card to get started with gaming.
Current Price – £161.87
Price Difference Since January 2018 – Increased by £15.77
What Do We Think?
I must admit, I’m surprised to be starting this list off with a price increase. Given that the 1050 range is, however, so popular for those on a budget this might explain it.
Looking towards AMD‘s entry levels. We also reviewed the Radeon RX 570 in April 2017. Acting as an update to the 4XX series, the 570 was a very popular card combining performance, but on a budget.
Current Price – £228.90
Price Difference Since January 2018 – Decreased by £15.23
What Do We Think?
In the AMD 5XX range, the 570 is nowhere near as popular as the 580 series. In fact, many people perhaps don’t even know a 570 range exists. While we have seen a small decrease in the price, this still isn’t much.
Sticking with Nvidia, we look at the ASUS GeForce 1060. This card for many has been a solid mid-tier graphics card and easily capable of running games impressively.
Current Price – £252.98
Price Difference Since January 2018 – Decreased by £107.01
What Do We Think?
Despite everyone wanting a 1070/80 from the 10XX range, it’s pretty clear that one of the most popular models has been the 1060. Providing the best bang for buck in the range it easily outpaced its AMD counterpart. This is, however, a pretty whopping drop in price.
The improved successor to the 480, the Radeon RX was team reds offering as an alternative to the Nvidia 1060.
Current Price – £272.90
Price Difference Since January 2018 – Decreased by £93.88
What Do We Think?
From the AMD equivalent of the Nvidia 1060, we have again seen a pretty hefty price decrease. While not quite as substantial, this still reflects a massive drop in price for what was perhaps one of the most popular mining cards of late 2017.
In August 2017, we reviewed the excellent Gigabyte 1080 graphics card.
Current Price – £494.98
Price Difference Since January 2018 – Decreased by £185.01
What Do We Think?
This was perhaps the most desired card from Nvidia in the 10XX range. I say desired as many wanted it, but few could afford it. In this instance though, in just 6 months, we have seen the price drop by nearly £200. Those who bought in January will be the worst affected in this depreciation.
Looking at more recent reviews, we checked out the RX Vega 54 in October 2017.
Current Price – £519.97
Price Difference Since January 2018 – Decreased by £267.87
What Do We Think?
This card represented the best that AMD had to offer with their latest range. While it didn’t quite have the punch to compete with Nvidia’s best, it was still an exceptionally impressive performer. Like the Nvidia 1080 though, it has also been subject to a huge decrease in price in just 6 months.
Going right to the top of the graphics card list, we reviewed this card only last October. Bear in mind, as per the Vega, this was only 3 months ago. Yes, in that short 3 month period this card has increased that much in value.
Current Price – £779.99
Price Difference Since January 2018 – Decreased by £150.00
What Do We Think?
This one is quite straightforward, from its release it has increased by £150, and then dropped by £150. Yes, a bit crazy that this card is only just getting back to its original RRP, but it’s a step in the right direction if nothing else.
When we wrote this article originally in January 2018, it was at a time when Bitcoin prices were going through the roof. Given that this was the major factor in GPU price increases, we predict that they were going to get worse before they got better. For a time, that was true. With Cryptocurrency no longer the ‘hot topic’ that it was though, I’m not surprised to see prices, on the whole, come down.
From the comparative list, it’s very easy to identify the Nvidia 1080 and AMD Vega 64 as the big ‘winners’ in this. At least in terms of how much they were worth and how much they are worth now. With their respective prices dropping about £200-£250 in just 6 months, anyone who bought one of the these in January has seen some massive depreciation.
While this, of course, happens with any GPU, there are few that lose around 30% of their value in just 6 months.
This can be summed up in two simple sentences – If you can wait until the 11XX series, do so. If you can’t, at least the prices are a lot more sensible. With at least half of the above card now less than their original price, while the Nvidia 11XX series should see another drop in prices. If you absolutely had to get a new GPU right now, the timing appears to be moderately in your favour.
WINNERS/BEST PRICE TO PERFORMANCE
What do you think? Surprised at the price changes? – Let us know in the comments.
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