Nvidia RTX price trends

Since I’m currently putting together a new desktop build and picking up parts as I can get my hands on them, I wanted to get your take on current graphics card pricing—specifically regarding Nvidia cards. Right now, they seem unjustifiably overpriced. (And before anyone starts with the usual excuses about how complex they are to manufacture, or mentions things like die shrinks, cooling solutions, or advanced processors... give me a break. It isn't fundamentally different from the old GTX days, yet those cost a third of what we're seeing now.)

I’m not really a hardcore gamer myself, and I definitely don't need 4K resolution, but I do want a GPU that has hardware support for ray tracing and similar tech. VRAM capacity isn't a priority for me either; 6GB is plenty.

So, what’s your prediction? Are prices for Nvidia cards going to drop, making it smarter to wait, or are they just going to keep climbing? Also, any specific recommendations? I’ve been looking at some Gigabyte and Gainward models featuring the RTX 2060, and the prices look decent, but they're mostly out of stock at local retailers (like Best Buy, for instance). What’s the actual difference between the 2xxx and 3xxx series?

The RTX 2060 isn't really going to be much of a factor anymore since it's such an older model, though there is an 8 GB version out there, and of course, the 3060 eventually took its place—so maybe you could still stumble upon some leftover stock somewhere if you look hard enough. Are you absolutely certain that 6 GB is going to be enough for your needs? What kind of software are you planning to run, anyway? It sounds like you might actually be aiming for the 3060 Ti?

granitecrane2 said:They’re basically sitting on cloud nine now—completely unjustified, if you ask me. And before anyone starts hitting me with those tired "arguments" like, "Oh, but you don't get how complex the architecture is," or "It's all about the high-end cooling and that advanced processor tech..." — give me a break. It's total nonsense. It isn't fundamentally any different from the old GTX cards, except these things cost three times as much.

How exactly do you figure that’s unjustified?

Look, how hard it is to actually build these things has absolutely zero to do with why prices are through the roof right now. It’s all about the chip shortage—plain and simple. There just aren't enough of them out there. And even when they finally manage to crank some out, they’re insanely expensive because, well, that's just basic supply and demand doing its thing. Plus, let's be real: once those chips hit the market, they aren't exactly rushing them over to GPU manufacturers first. Graphics cards aren't exactly "essential" goods, you know? Everyone else gets priority before we see anything.

granitecrane2 said:So, where do we go from here? What’s the play? Are we looking at an Nvidia price drop that makes waiting worth it, or is everything just going to keep climbing? I can't quite tell if I should pull the trigger now or just sit tight and hope for the best. I've been eyeing some Gigabyte and Gainward RTX 2060 models—the prices actually look decent—but finding them in stock around here is a nightmare. Most of my usual vendors, like Best Buy, are basically wiped out. Also, for those who know, what’s the actual real-world difference between the 2000 series and the 3000 series? Is it worth the jump?

It’ll stay exactly the same—right up until...

First off, Ethereum isn't just flipping the switch from proof of work to proof of stake overnight—that was supposed to happen last year. The current expectation is that we'll start seeing the transition kick off toward the end of this year, with the whole thing finally settling into a full proof of stake protocol sometime during next year.

Second off—unless the supply and demand situation in the chip market actually shifts—we're stuck right where we are.
So, Intel just dropped $30 billion to scale up their manufacturing—because apparently, that’s what they think is going to fix everything. It’s a massive gamble, honestly. You have to wonder if all that cash is actually going to move the needle or if it's just throwing money at a problem that goes way deeper than just factory floor space. We'll see if this pays off or if it's just another expensive lesson in trying to catch up.
TSMC just dropped a cool $100 billion into scaling up production—we're talking massive expansion and building out entirely new facilities—but don't expect anything to actually be online until 2023.

And don't even get me started on Nvidia jumping ship from TSMC over to Samsung—honestly, there’s barely any solid intel out there regarding how they're actually scaling up production.

granitecrane2 said:So, what’s the actual deal between the 2xxx and 3xxx series?

Look, just Google the architecture and the performance specs yourself. It’s all out there.

By the way—before the pandemic hit, the 3070 was actually cheaper at $499, and it still outpaced the 2080 Ti, which was sitting at a ridiculous $1,200.

granitecrane2 said:- honestly, it’s basically just more of the same compared to the old GTX cards—except those actually cost like a third of what this junk does.

🤦

TSMC just dropped $100 billion on this. And just a heads-up for everyone here—in the US, a billion is actually a thousand million!

Alexander Diaz4 said:What makes you think that's unjustified?

The complexity of manufacturing doesn't actually dictate current pricing—it’s the massive chip shortage driving everything. There simply aren't enough units on the market, and when they finally do get produced, the costs are sky-high.

And it's not like supply just vanished overnight... why? For years, there was plenty to go around, and now suddenly it's gone. What exactly is TSMC doing that prevents them from keeping up with demand? They manage to churn out Apple M1 SoC chips (I own one, by the way), and they can handle AMD processors too. So what gives?

Alexander Diaz4 said:First off, Ethereum isn't switching from Proof of Work to Proof of Stake yet. That was supposed to happen last year, but now expectations are that the transition will start toward the end of this year, with a full move to Proof of Stake happening sometime next year.

How does that have anything to do with the chip shortage? We're talking about cryptocurrency here. Not everyone is mining; in reality, only a tiny fraction of people are actually involved in that.

Alexander Diaz4 said:Secondly, until the supply and demand dynamics in the chip market shift...
Intel has poured $30 billion into expanding production.
TSMC has invested $100 billion into expanding capacity and building new facilities, which aren't expected to be ready until 2023.

Supply and demand have always been factors.

Alexander Diaz4 said:Not to mention Nvidia moving away from TSMC toward Samsung, where we don't even have much information regarding their production expansion...

That's fair enough.

Alexander Diaz4 said:Look up the architecture and performance metrics if you're so curious.

What do I care about architecture? Performance isn't my priority. I just want to know if modern concepts like raytracing are actually present. I have zero intention of gaming at 4K, and I certainly don't need a card for some massive mining rig. In fact, I don't touch crypto, and I never plan to start.

Alexander Diaz4 said:🤦

I get it. A real "expert."

Alexander Moore67 said:TSMC invested 100 billion dollars—and since they clearly don't speak English, a billion is what we call a milliard!

That’s exactly what I meant by calling him an "expert." It's not just a language barrier; it's a fundamental lack of general knowledge.

It's pretty straightforward:
million - 10^6
billion - 10^12
trillion - 10^18

In some systems, they use intermediate steps like milliard, so
a billion would be 10^9
a trillion would be 10^12
a quadrillion would be 10^15

That's known as the long scale.

But here in America, we use the short scale.
a million is 10^6
a billion is 10^9
a trillion is 10^12

Journalists constantly trip up because they don't realize there are two different scales, leading to massive translation errors. What someone might call a billion in other parts of the world is actually a trillion in the US, and their version of a "billion" doesn't even exist in our standard nomenclature.

wanderingbison9 said:Look, the RTX 2060 is pretty much a relic at this point. It's an old model, though there was an 8 GB version before the 3060 took over, so you might stumble upon some leftover stock somewhere... Are you absolutely certain 6 GB is enough for you? What kind of software are we talking about here? You're clearly eyeing the 3060Ti, right?

Actually, 6 GB is more than enough for my needs. I'm mainly running things like Adobe After Effects, Adobe Premiere, 3ds Max, DaVinci Resolve, and potentially Blender...

granitecrane2 said:Honestly, 6 GB is more than enough. When you're running software like Adobe After Effects, Adobe Premiere, 3ds Max, DaVinci Resolve, or maybe even Blender...

I have to disagree, especially when I'm working in DaVinci Resolve. I tend to import 4K or even 6K footage, and when it comes time to apply effects—particularly within the Fusion page—that amount of VRAM just isn't sufficient. If you browse the Blackmagic Design forums, you'll see endless threads of people complaining about having only 6GB of video RAM. It seems like Nvidia cards specifically love throwing "GPU memory full" errors at me. And the kicker? I usually finalize my projects in 2K, not 4K. Even while using GPU-accelerated effects in After Effects, I've run into memory shortages; in fact, a film studio I worked at (which I won't name) actually decided to step up and grab an RTX 2060 SUPER with 8GB to avoid these exact issues.

Just because you can't find an RTX 2060 SUPER with 8GB anymore doesn't mean the 3060 Ti 8GB models are necessarily overpriced. From what I can see, they are priced similarly to those phantom RTX 2060 6GB cards. You shouldn't make a mistake here; the 2060 was an incredible value back when it cost half as much, but that's not the case anymore.
Don't hold out hope for a price drop; if you want performance, just go for the RTX 3060 Ti. It really is your best bet, as you won't find better performance for that kind of money:

https://www.pugetsystems.com/labs/ar...formance-2021/

granitecrane2 said:But they didn't just vanish overnight... why? They were plenty for all these years, now suddenly they're gone.

Maybe because part of 2020 and 2021 was basically a massive lockdown where everyone started working from home—so demand for laptops, PCs, medical gear, and all that stuff just spiked.

granitecrane2 said:What is TSMC doing that they can't keep up with chip production? They manage to churn out Apple M1 SoC chips (I have one, BTW). How do they manage to make AMD processors?

Well, maybe they can't keep up because they don't have the infrastructure to scale up production?
If someone has the setup to produce 100 units a month, and suddenly orders jump and they need to hit 130, how are they supposed to do that if their current factory floor won't allow it? It means someone's going to be left hanging until the expansion is finished, getting their goods late instead of on time. The people who pay more and the industries with an actual, vital need will get priority—like, producing chips for medical equipment is gonna take precedence over chips for graphics cards.

Or am I wrong?

granitecrane2 said:How is that even linked to the chip shortage? That's crypto. Not everyone is into mining (actually, barely anyone is).

Look, even a mining farm might run on just two graphics cards. They're buying GPUs just like the rest of us, not by the pallet.

granitecrane2 said:What architecture? I don't care about performance. I just want to see modern tech like raytracing exist. I'm not trying to play games in 4K, and I don't need a card for mining rigs. Besides, I don't touch crypto, and I never plan to.

Alright then, feel free to go off and hunt for whatever it is you're actually looking for.

As for the billions, millions, trillions, and scales... yeah, my bad, I should've converted those into US dollars right away. I just relayed the info from the US news sites exactly as it was written, not some sensationalist tabloid. I'll leave the rest of the debate to you guys.

Go ahead, carry on with the debate. I'm listening.

wanderingbison9 said:It doesn't feel that way to me, especially when I'm working in DaVinci Resolve. I'm constantly importing 4K or even 6K footage just to start layering on effects, so...

Look, you have proxies available. Why aren't you using them? Whether you're working in Adobe tools or DaVinci Resolve, proxy workflows exist for a reason.

Alexander Diaz4 said:So, is the issue that they just don't have the infrastructure in place to scale up production?
If someone has an infrastructure set up to churn out 100 units a month, and suddenly demand spikes to 130, they’re hitting a wall. If their current setup physically can't handle that extra volume, how exactly are they supposed to meet those numbers? Unless they expand their capacity, someone is going to be left hanging. You'll end up with delays, and customers won't get their orders on time until that infrastructure is scaled up.

Exactly. That’s why Apple laptops are more accessible than they've ever been, especially since the M1 is being mass-produced right now. The situation over at TSMC in Taiwan..

Alexander Diaz4 said:Look, this mining farm is only running two GPUs. They aren't buying their hardware in bulk pallets like some industrial operation; they’re just buying graphics cards the same way the rest of us do.

They aren't buying the same things everyone else is, and on top of that, there are far fewer of them compared to the rest of the crowd.

Feel free to keep this discussion going.

So, that’s the million-dollar question. When exactly is the RTX lineup finally going to see some decent price cuts? Right now, they are outrageously expensive. I've been scrolling through threads where people are barely able to scrape together enough to afford entry-level laptops just to get by. $2000Seriously, just one graphics card can easily run you 15 grand. $0.00 I mean, some of them even hit the 50 mark. $0.00It looks like everyone here is stuck at fifteen. $0.00 You guys don't even have a GPU listed? Seriously? $2000 That sounds a bit off for a laptop.
I was browsing through the latest listings at Best Buy today and stumbled upon this Nvidia RTX unit. It’s definitely worth a closer look if you're looking to upgrade your current rig. Based on the specs, it seems like a solid contender for anyone serious about high-end rendering or heavy gaming sessions. What do you guys think? Is this specific model the best value out there right now, or should I keep hunting for something else?

granitecrane2 said:You have proxies available, so why not just make use of them? Both Adobe tools and Da Vinci support proxy workflows.

But you can't perform a Final render using a proxy, can you? Proxies are meant to speed up your editing process when you're working on less powerful hardware; they aren't a magic way to bypass the physical limitations of your machine. You always have to check the full resolution files, otherwise, you'll run straight into a "GPU memory full" error. To be fair, I'm running an AMD RX580 8 GB rather than an Nvidia card, and I have honestly never encountered that specific issue. It might not be the fastest card out there, but for what I paid, it's perfectly decent for this type of work.

I'm not quite sure why you're so hung up on finding a 6GB card, because even if prices drop, we aren't going to see any high-end RTX cards being released with only 6GB of VRAM...