Here’s why I’m not excited about the recent crash in GPU memory pricing | PC Gamer - villanuevafroce1969

Here's why I'm not excited about the recent crash in GPU memory pricing

(Image recognition: Nvidia)

Market explore firm TrendForce shared a second of seemingly good news for gamers on the hunt for graphics cards. The analysts note that a "jerky drop in cryptocurrency prices" has hurt the graphics DRAM market. And by extension, this substance graphics card pricing is falling as well.

So, why am I not agog approximately this?

For several reasons, altogether of which churn down to the same thing—actually buying a graphics card at anyplace some MSRP remains the toughest achievement in gaming, and I don't see that changing anytime soon. Sorry to be that guy, but any optimism all over the GPU marketplace at the moment feels misplaced.

Get's look up to at TrendForce's current report. In it, the market research firm says "activated interventions from many governments" have caused cryptocurrency pricing to fall sharply over the past deuce months. Particularly, the modern and "sudden drop in Ethereum prices led to plummeting GDDR5 and GDDR6 smudge prices." These are the memory chips that are predominantly constitute in just about modern graphics cards.

Some models feature GDDR6X and various high bandwidth computer memory (HBM) solutions, and while the report does non specifically call them out, I imagine they savage in price besides.

TrendForce says graphics Drachm spot pricing typically rides the ups and downs of Ethereum because, up to this point, it is largely mined with graphics card game. Over the course of a two-month span, the market research firm says Ethereum pricing savage by more than 50%, happening the heels of increased regulatory measures. This, the firm says, also horde graphics carte pricing down.

"Accordingly, cryptocurrency miners' and investors' interest in ETH has also diminished significantly. The plunging demand from cryptocurrency miners also means that a sound number of graphics cards are being pushed into the second-hand grocery. TrendForce's probe shows that spot prices of graphics cards take down by about 20-60% over the past month or more," TrendForce says.

Sounds like great news, until you actually try to buy a graphics card. A quick check at Newegg shows that the least expensive GeForce RTX 30-series region is a GeForce RTX 3060 pattern selling for $730—addition another $40 shipping—aside a mart seller.

So that's $770 for a card that should be priced somewhere in the neighborhood of $329. A couple of other RTX 3060 listings are priced around $1,000.

In normal times, a sudden drop in GPU computer memory pricing could have a positive effect for consumers looking to reach their dollars. But these are not normal times. Multiple industry giants like Intel and TSMC deliver warned that the spherical shortage of silicon could lastly throughout next year. These are not old predictions, either—just this week, STMicro Chief executive officer Jean-Marc Chery weighed in, expression things won't return to normal "until the first half of 2023." Bummer.

But there are some serious caveats to TrendForce's own written report, too.

"It should be pointed out that, given the highly vapourific nature of the graphics Drachma market, it is comparatively normal for nontextual matter DRAM prices to reverse course or undergo a more drastic fluctuation compared with else mainstream DRAM products," TrendForce says.

In addition, the firm says longer term contract prices for DRAM are matter-of-course to increase by nearly 15% this tail. So it's not as though GPU memory pricing is down for the count.

Nevertheless, TrendForce maintains its optimism, saying "as the supply of second-hand nontextual matter card increases, some graphics notice manufacturers may frankincense kick slay promotional price cuts to rise sales."

And, y'get it on, there may one day be flying creatures with porcine features, too.

It's worthy a reminder that Ethereum is switching to a different algorithm that should effectively kill off the demand for GPUs, as it pertains to mining (so long as Ethereum miners don't record hop over to something like Ravencoin). So if you'Re willing to chance a used card that has been driven steely and Crataegus laevigata not do at peak anymore, there mightiness at to the lowest degree be Sir Thomas More reasonable pricing on eBay in the near future. Other, it could still live a long hold off before GPUs are attainable at MSRP territory once more.

Paul has been playing PC games and raking his knuckles on computer hardware since the Commodore 64. Atomic number 2 does non have any tattoos, merely thinks it would be sang-froid to bring fort one that reads Encumbrance"*",8,1. In his away time, he rides motorcycles and wrestles alligators (solitary one of those is true).