Nvidia’s RTX 4090 remains the undisputed most powerful GPU on the market right now, despite being a year-and-a-half old. As such, you might think that reselling it later should be a breeze, not to mention that it should net you a nice amount of money — but that is not always the case.
Wccftech reports that one owner of an MSI RTX 4090 tried to use the Micro Center GPU Trade-In Program to get some money back, and the GPU was valued at just $700 — a mere 36% of the total cost of the graphics card.
The GPU in question is the MSI GeForce RTX 4090 Gaming Trio, which sells for $1,940 at Micro Center. According to the publication, one of its readers attempted to use the trade-in program to get rid of their RTX 4090 and get some money back, only to be surprised by the shockingly low price estimate of $700. You’d be hard-pressed to find a working RTX 4090 at that price just about anywhere; in fact, getting one below $1,000 is a stretch.
Trade-in programs are fairly common among various retailers, with Newegg and Amazon also offering money for used graphics cards. For comparison, Newegg is willing to pay up to $1,500 for a used RTX 4090. That might be a pretty generous estimate, given that not every GPU will be in great shape, but it’s also more along the lines of what you’d expect to see for a GPU that currently sells for $1,850 and above. It’s worth noting that the RTX 4090 isn’t even that old yet, having launched in October 2022.
It’s hard to say what might have led to the low price of the RTX 4090 at Micro Center. It’s true that a GPU that has been used extensively and was purchased at the end of 2022 would see a drop in value, but still, $700 doesn’t sound right — though we don’t know the state of the GPU in question. It’s also possible to bring your GPU to a local Micro Center to get a quote in person, which might be more accurate.
While the RTX 4090 is past its prime, it’s still the best graphics card on the consumer market, beating every alternative by a large margin. It’s also one of the few GPUs that actually went up in price after its launch, selling for up to $500 more than the recommended list price (MSRP) of $1,600, largely thanks to the AI craze and the import ban.
This is a good example that, even if you’re in a hurry to get rid of your old GPU, it’s best to shop around. Trade-in programs are safer and quicker than reselling the GPU yourself, which makes you more susceptible to various scams, but it come at a price as you’ll usually get less money. In this case, a lot less.
