A report from 3D Center reveals the dire state of the graphics card market in Europe. The German outfit analyzed the prices of graphics cards from some of the top European retailers and found some are charging as much as three times the MSRP for RTX 30-series cards. AMD’s RX 6000 cards were found to be equally as expensive, with prices that range from two times to two-and-a-half times above MSRP.
The most egregious model is the RTX 3080, which launched with a list price of 719 Euros (around $880 U.S. at current rates). The “best price” for the card currently, according to 3D Center, is now 2,999 Euros, or around $3,650 — a 317% price increase.
The data gathered by 3D Center shows a steady growth in price throughout 2021, with prices hitting an all-time high on May 16, when the last data points were gathered. As executives from Nvidia warn of further shortages, we can only anticipate that the prices will continue to climb.
Nvidia cards show the clearest price gouging, but AMD cards are significantly marked up, too. The Radeon RX 6900 XT is, out of all AMD and Nvidia cards, selling closest to its list price. There’s still a 70% increase, however. The card launched for 999 Euros (around $1,200) and is now selling for as much as 1,799 Euros (around $2,200). The RTX 3070 shows a 189% increase, the RX 6800 shows a 159% increase, and even the budget-focused RTX 3060 is selling for 204% more than its list price.
It’s remarkably normal to see such insane prices for graphics cards as the GPU shortage and semiconductor shortage as a whole continues. Even our list of the best GPU deals is full of cards that are not only overpriced, but underpowered. The GTX 1050 Ti — which is a dinosaur by the GPU standards of today — is selling for close to $400, for example, which should be the price of an RTX 3060 Ti.
You can’t find a graphics card for list price anywhere. Thankfully, we have a few alternatives to buying a GPU that will save you money while allowing you to play the latest games.
