This probably won't come as a surprise to most. Nvidia's new flagship graphics card is costing two thousand dollars, the most expensive the company has ever created! Custom versions of the RTX 5090 are priced at almost $1,400, not to mention the ridiculous versions that are for oligarchs.

The RTX 5080, which is next in the ranking, costs $1,000, and honestly, it's not worth it at that price. And, as expected, both are almost impossible to find, unless you're willing to pay a reseller what a 2002 Honda Civic costs. 🚗💰

Newegg

The reasons aren't hard to understand. Nvidia can't keep up with the pent-up demand for powerful new cards, which always results in stock shortages at launch. And just like the crypto rush a few years ago, we now see regular gamers competing with AI companies buying thousands of standard GPUs to power their data centers and, in the process, heat up the planet for terrible search results. High demand and low supply means scalpers are trying to make a few bucks, not to mention their even less pleasant cousins, the usual scammers. 💻⚠️

But if you are feeling the impact of pricesPlease sit down and take a deep breath. Because it looks like those exorbitant prices are going to keep going up. Tom's Hardware has noticed that the prices of MSI and Asus GPUs have already jumped between $140 and $200, just a week after launch. (Not that you can buy them anyway, they are all sold out and will probably remain that way for several more weeks). These are prices directly from the stores online from manufacturers, which theoretically should have the lowest additional cost. 🛍️💵

In addition to all the factors mentioned, we have the Trump administration thankful for rising prices in the US. A 10 percent tariff on all products coming from China means that everything from CPUs to cars to crabs will go up in price.

The supply chains of modern economies are so dependent on Chinese manufacturing that it is virtually impossible for anything different to happen. Even harsher tariffs on our economic allies, such as Canada and Mexico, are on hold for just one month, and threatened tariffs on Taiwan (the world leader in silicon chip production) will aggravate inflation everywhere.

Possible US tariffs on goods and materials from Europe, India, South America, the Middle East, and more have economists shaking in their boots.

AMD

There are other options. The new graphics cards AMD's Radeon RX 9070 and 9070 XT are coming in early March, and Intel's second-generation Arc cards offer some incredibly welcome competition in the more affordable segment. These GPUs will also be subject to shortages and price increases like the rest, but at least they won't drain your wallet excessively from the start. 🎮💻

You also have more options for PC gaming than ever before thanks to streaming services like Nvidia GeForce Now or Xbox Game Pass, and the ever-increasing power of integrated graphics. The APUs AMD Ryzen, like those found on the Steam Deck and similar handheld consoles, offer surprising versatility. ⏳🖥️

Dominic Bayley / IDG

But the truth is that the manufacturers and even retailers can increase prices whenever they want, sure that someone will buy a GPU instantly regardless of the price.

Si estuviera considerando seriamente comprar una nueva GPU en este momento, aumentaría mi presupuesto en un 50 por ciento solo para estar seguro… suponiendo que tuviera esa opción. Por lo pronto, me voy a quedar tranquilo con mi RTX 3070 de hace cuatro años. 😅🔧

The good old days of GPU shortages during and just after the COVID pandemic are coming back, especially if you live in the US. May luck, if not trade wars, be ever in your favor. 🍀