Skip to main content

Nvidia’s RTX 3080 GPU just received a record price cut

One of the most popular graphics cards on the market, the Nvidia RTX 3080, has seen one of its biggest official price cuts since the GPU shortage began.

Providing further proof that the video card industry is starting to normalize again in regard to costs, retailers in Australia have applied an enormous 35% price cut to Nvidia’s powerful board.

The Nvidia RTX 3080 graphics card on a table.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Hardware Unboxed reports that the Asus GeForce RTX 3080 TUF Gaming OC model was available for 2,299 Australian dollars ($1,696) a few days ago. However, overnight, several stores decided to collectively drop the asking price to 1,499 Australian dollars ($1,109).

Prices have been falling steadily since 2022 began, but we’ve never witnessed such an aggressive price cut from retailers until now. The RTX 3080 is aimed toward the enthusiast segment, so it’s not a question of demand — it’s been one of the most coveted products during the GPU shortage.

It’s possible that certain stores just aren’t able to sell GPUs at ridiculously inflated price points anymore. Lending credence to this theory is the fact that availability of stock has reached a level not seen since the start of 2021, ultimately providing more affordable options for consumers from other third-party marketplaces.

In any case, it’s important to take into account that the 35% price cut for the GeForce RTX 3080 has thus far only materialized in the Australian market. In America, as Tom’s Hardware notes, the average price for this specific graphics card is currently $1,323 during March, which is 8.1% cheaper than it was throughout February. Either way, it’s still a long way off from the manufacturer’s suggested retail price (MSRP) of $699.

Prices attached to the RTX 30-series are 68% higher than the MSRP in the U.S. Within certain European regions, however, the cost for products from the aforementioned range are now 41% higher than the MSRP. Realistically, we’ll have to wait a few months before American retailers follow their Australian counterparts in applying such large price deductions for video cards.

All things considered, though, the current state of the GPU market is in a much healthier place compared to the height of the shortage in 2021, which saw anyone wanting to grab an Nvidia board having to pay over 200% of the MSRP.

It may be tempting for many to purchase a graphics card at this moment in time — especially for those who are long overdue for a system upgrade. However, we recommend you wait just a few more months for GPU costs to drop to their original retail price tags.

Editors' Recommendations

Zak Islam
Computing Writer
Zak Islam was a freelance writer at Digital Trends covering the latest news in the technology world, particularly the…
Despite mixed reviews, the RTX 4060 is moving the needle for Nvidia
Logo on the RTX 4060 Ti graphics card.

Nvidia has been taking a beating lately with its graphics cards, at least if you believe the reviews. On the financial side, however, Nvidia is still bringing in the cash with its controversial RTX 4060 family.

The company released its earnings for the second quarter of fiscal 2024 (or, in real life, the third quarter of 2023). Unsurprisingly, Nvidia brought in a ton of money overall -- a new record at $13.51 billion, which is 101% higher than a year ago, largely due to the AI boom. What's surprising is that Nvidia's gaming revenue is up, too.

Read more
Half-Life 2 is getting Nvidia’s RTX treatment with DLSS 3
Gordon Freeman's suit in Half-Life 2 RTX

Nvidia announced Half-Life 2 RTX at Gamescom, which means one of the best games of all time will get a community-made remaster with ray-tracing, DLSS 3, and more, similar to what happened with Portal.

Half-Life 2 RTX is the latest in a long stream of fan-made remasters for classic PC games that demonstrate the power of Nvidia's latest technology. Last year, Valve Software's Portal got this treatment, and Digital Trends called it the most demanding PC game we've ever tested. It's not surprising that Nvidia would move on to what is probably Valve's other most influential game, Half-Life 2. This game, which was originally released in 2004, set a new bar for first-person shooters and has a vibrant modding community. Now, some of those modders have come together to form Orbifold Studios and are working with Nvidia to release Half-Life 2 RTX.

Read more
This absurd PC with 7 RTX 4090s costs an eye-watering $31,600
A close-up of the Mifcom Big Boss PC showing its seven RTX 4090 GPUs.

Given its sky-high price, it’s safe to say most people do not own an Nvidia RTX 4090 GPU, despite it being one of the best graphics cards you can buy. At $1,499 a pop, it costs more than most PCs, yet one company has just launched a monstrous computer kitted out with no less than seven RTX 4090s. The asking price? A mere 28,999 euros, or roughly $31,600.

Dreamed up by German PC builder Mifcom, the appropriately named Big Boss not only stacks in seven of Nvidia’s most powerful graphics cards but fits each of them with a watercooler too. Those GPUs bring a combined 168GB of video memory to the table for an absolutely absurd amount of power.

Read more