Over the last few years, the finest graphics cards from AMD and Nvidia have stayed out of reach for many, with the components selling for far more than their MSRP. However, as chip shortages get less severe and demand from crypto miners decreases, it appears that we may be returning to the good old days of standard GPU pricing. Prices for both the RX 6000 and RTX 3000 series are at their lowest since January 2021, according to research by 3DCenter (via WCCF Tech) that looks at the pricing of Radeon and GeForce graphics cards in Germany.

This shift may not be noticeable in smaller markets just yet. The 3DCenter.org online has already been tracking the progression of graphic card pricing just on the German market, which has global implications that should more or less translate to the market as a whole. It was precisely this website's statistics that we informed you about at the beginning of July the previous year when things appeared to be improving briefly. But then the crypto traders took a deep breath, and the Bitcoin, Ethereum, and other bubbles regained steam, driving up GPU prices. However, recent data suggests that the price rebound is already over. The price rises peaked at the end of December, and prices have been gradually declining since then. 3DCenter uses averages of various graphic card models provided by major German retailers to establish a surcharge percentage you pay on GPUs when compared to the recommended price - for example, 100 percent implies prices are the same as MSRPs, while 200 percent means costs are doubled.

Hopefully, the forthcoming introduction of many GPU lines, including Intel Arc Alchemist, Nvidia RTX 4000, and an AMD RX 6000 upgrade before RDNA 3, will drive current generation card costs even lower. While we expect a large performance gain from these cards, the performance of cards like the RTX 3000 and RX 6000 will still be ample for years to come and could represent excellent value.