GPU Buying Guide - (Read first post)

I'm with you, Matthew Anderson. My point was basically that both of them are just as much of a joke.😬

470 nitro in the US

They’ve lost their minds... looking at these prices, there's zero chance I'm buying a new graphics card this year. It's pure insanity. 😵 🤣

In my opinion, the prices aren't actually that crazy, considering these GPUs just hit the shelves. It’s $608, after all—what else is out there right now that beats this performance for the same amount of cash? A price drop is bound to happen eventually, though.

We can pretty much toss the MSRP and reference models out the window. Custom coolers drive the cost up and don't really reflect AMD's baseline pricing. Personally, I wouldn't be surprised if those reference cards don't even see much market presence; they might just be a little teaser to kick things off.

Don't take my word for it, but I think I saw some article yesterday suggesting you should just hold off on buying any AMD cards for about a month or so until things settle down. Prices for the GTX 1050 Ti might even drop to $500.

It’s always the same story when new GPUs drop. The RX 380X launched at around $350, the GTX 1050 cost just as much as—if not more than—the GTX 960 back in the day, and even the GTX 650 $433 had its price spikes. It’s never really a smart move to buy during those first few weeks because you're essentially paying a "newness tax," but if someone needs an upgrade right this second, they don't have many better options anyway, so there isn't much room to get ripped off.

https://www.amazon.com/sapphire-gtx-1050-ti-dmi-3x-dp/dp/b000000

$27 This is pricier than what you'd find at Best Buy. If we look at how things work over in Germany, Nitro cards tend to be more expensive than ASUS, EVGA, or PowerColor, so it makes sense for them to be the cheaper alternative here.

Timothy Kim60 said:It’s always the same story with new GPUs. The 380X was sitting at $350 when it dropped, the GTX 1050 cost as much as—if not more than—the GTX 960 back then, and the GTX 650 $433 too. Buying in the first few weeks is usually a sucker move because of the markup, but if you need one right now, there isn't a better option anyway, so you can't really get ripped off.

https://www.newegg.com/sapphire-rx-47...dmi-3x-dp.aspx

$27 It's pricier than Best Buy. If we look at how things work in Germany, Nitro models are more expensive than ASUS, EVGA, or PowerColor, so they might actually end up being cheaper here.

Exactly. That GTX 650 was $433 at launch, but I picked mine up about six months later for $330 😁

Timothy Kim60 said:In my opinion, the prices aren't actually insane (considering these GPUs just launched). It’s $608, what else is out there that beats this for the money? Obviously, we should expect prices to drop eventually

Forget about MSRP or reference models; custom coolers drive costs up and have nothing to do with AMD. Personally, I don't think those standard versions will even hit the market—they might just be a little teaser to start things off.

I get the logic—high demand meets low supply—but a GTX 1050 Ti for $270 when it should be a sub-$200 card??? Or a GTX 1060 for $380 when it belongs in the $250 range??? Give me a break. That's just not how math works.😂 😂 😬

analogtiger19 said:I get it, demand is high and supply is low, but $260 for a GTX 1050 Ti? That should be a sub-$200 card. Or $375 for a GTX 1060 when it belongs at $270? Give me a break. That math just doesn't add up. 😂 😂 😬

You can't compare prices like that between America and Europe.
Electronics are generally cheaper over there. I don't know how their import laws work or what the shipping costs look like.
Europe gets screwed over here. Between all the different markups and taxes, the price stays high. You have to factor that in.

And don't even get me started on those poor Australians 🕺

Look, we’ve already covered this ground. MSRP doesn't include sales tax, and once you factor in extra costs—currency conversion fees, our local retailer margins, and shipping—the math changes. We really need to benchmark against European pricing; we shouldn't be trying to take US prices and just tack on an extra 7% because their tax rates differ from ours. Unless the price sits significantly above those adjusted benchmarks, there isn't much to complain about. Anyone who expected a GTX 1050 Ti to cost $180 here was living in a fantasy land. I was anticipating prices closer to what we saw with the 380x, and it looks like that's exactly what we're getting (even with the massive hype surrounding it). For instance, if a PC Red Devil is retailing for €219 in Germany, we should expect to see something around $600 locally at launch. Eventually, though, prices will almost certainly drop by $100-$67
.

Timothy Kim60 said:We’ve been through this already. MSRP doesn't cover tax, and then you've got extra overhead—currency conversion, retailer margins, shipping, whatever. We can't just look at US prices and add 7% because our sales tax is higher than what they deal with in Germany. You only have a reason to complain if it's significantly above that. Anyone expecting a GTX 1050 Ti for $180 here was dreaming. I was looking for 380x level pricing, and that’s basically what we're seeing, even with the hype. A PowerColor Red Devil goes for 219 euros in Germany, so expect to see something around $600 locally at launch. Eventually, it'll probably drop by 100-$67

So maybe $1500-$533 is actually a realistic price for a GTX 1050

I honestly think we'll see the GTX 1050 hovering right around $500

Slow down, nobody's actually comparing prices "from" the US; I was just using the dollar amount as a baseline. Look, if you want the Sapphire GTX 1060 Nitro+, it’s sitting at about $315 in the UK. There's no way it's just the tax difference when you see it going for $330-$370 in Germany or France... it doesn't add up. If you don't get what I'm getting at, just ignore me because there's no point in arguing further. ☕

Here’s an interesting comparison for you—on Newegg, most GTX 1050 Ti 4GB cards are sitting at $199–$219, while the EVGA R9 380X is priced at $199 and the Gigabyte model is $219 (those two are usually the budget leaders here, often the only ones even in stock). The cheapest Asus option is $219, and PowerColor is leading the low end at $169. So, there you have it, guys: the price of an R9 380X is roughly

Keep in mind that the 380X is already at the bottom of its price range and the card is practically phasing out (it's dropped from $767), whereas the RX 470 is likely to keep sliding down. By next year, we might see a rebranded version selling for $400 😬

Timothy Kim60 said:on Newegg, most RX 470 4GB cards are sitting at $199-$219, while the XFX R9 380X is $199 and the Gigabyte is $219

that's a lot for an RX 480 at $199😠

The 4GB reference models are technically 😬
But honestly, just forget about those reference cards and their price tags.

By the way, check out that 470 series roundup I linked in the news section. It’s an excellent, detailed review—probably the best one yet—delivered with that classic German precision. The charts are incredible, and the performance actually exceeds expectations; when you use the overclock modes or BIOS settings, they regularly outperform the GTX 970 in DirectX 12, much like what you see in the Guru3D reviews. 🙏
Of course, you can also push the clock speeds a bit higher than those factory OC modes/BIOS settings allow.

The only thing unique about this specific roundup is that they test everything inside a PC case rather than on an open test bench, which offers a much more "real-world" perspective. Plus, they provide performance boosts for every GPU across every game, along with interactive graphs.

Good day, everyone. I’m planning on picking up a new PC in about two months, so I've been doing some light digging into current tech trends. 😁
Could someone clarify the actual difference between these two cards?

ASUS ROG Strix GeForce GTX 1060
ASUS ROG Strix GeForce GTX 1060
There is an $85 price gap here—is it really the same card?

One more thing: is it actually safe to buy components through Amazon? I'm currently studying in Chicago, so ordering via Amazon seems like the most cost-effective route for me.

A lot is going to shift with graphics cards over the next couple of months... the first one is cheaper since it uses a reference cooler, whereas the second one is way too pricey because ASUS 😬 ...is just massively overpriced.

To me, the Palit Super Jetstream ($350) makes the most sense.

Alright, I'll start a new thread once my paycheck hits.

What makes that Palit model better than the cheaper ASUS one? (I've never actually heard of Palit, so there's that.)

PS: Is there really a massive difference between an i5 6400 and an i5 6500—is it worth dropping an extra $30?

They have some of the best coolers in this current generation (identical to the Gainward Phoenix ones)

Honestly, the price jump isn't worth it. You wouldn't even notice the difference, so you're better off putting that money toward something else.