I'm building a new PC right now. Not the best decision i have made but i finally have the money to it so I thought I should give it a go. I've only bought the chassis so far and am currently waiting to see how the new cpus and gpus this year perform. But what if you need a graphics card now. Well here are some tips to get one at a not terrible rate.
- know what they are actually worth:
Remember this is the MSRP of GPUs. Do not buy at inflated market rate.
Nvidia graphics card MSRPs:
GTX 1080: $600
GTX 1070: $380
GTX 1060: $250
GTX 1050 Ti: $140
AMD graphics card MSRPs:
Vega 64: $500
Vega 56: $400
RX 580: $200
RX 570: $150
RX 560: $100
- sign up for notification from Nvidia:
Team green is on a weekly basis selling cards at near MSRP. Supplies go fast and the restock seems a little random. They have an email notification for when they restock. Sign up and just have your credit card ready to buy.
- look at the used market but be wary:
The used market traditionally is a good place to snag a good card at a cheap price. Sadly that hasn't been the case recently. In eBay I have seen fury X and GTX 980ti go for $500-700. Both cards are at best worth $300. Before buying or bidding on a used card know what it is worth. Compare it's performance to one the cards listed above and don't pay more than that. Remember that the last buyer sets the price of a good in an open market.
- go to a physical store:
I know it's 2018 why would you go to a brick and mortar store. Because that is where you can find cards at or near marl. Places like microcenter will give you a discount from their inflated amount if you say it is for gaming. Best buy is oddly a Best buy for cards right now. Some in store prebuilts can net you a card at a good price. Just buy the prebuilt and sell the non GPU items on eBay. You can recoup most of the cost that way.
- consider a great 1030 for now:
This is only if you need a new card now. If your current card is working just wait out a bit more. The crypto market took a hit recently and some people who got in late are starting to panic sell GPUs. There should be some good priced used ones. Just follow tip 3. If you need a card now because your old one died consider a great 1030. Look I know it's not a sexy card. Yet for $70 it can play most games at console quality. After that just save up and try to grab a card through the other mentioned methods.
In summary, it is a rough time to be a computer builder. If you need a card you need to be vigilant and ready to jump at a moment's notice. Happy hunting!