So it looks like Nvidia’s long-awaited Lovelace GPUs might not make it to even later in the year, if current rumors are to be believed. It’s not even necessarily because RTX 4000 not ready to be released; it has been suggested that high-end graphics cards may arrive later due to the existing stock of RTX 3000 cards that Nvidia wants to change before releasing its new GPUs.
The reason for this supposed surplus of current-generation GeForce cards is, of course, the cryptocurrency market crash, which has led to massive sales of mining GPUs and a general drop in Nvidia sales. If this is indeed the case (and it’s mostly speculation right now, so take this with a pinch of salt) then I ask, I beg, I to beg you don’t buy a GPU until later this year – at least not at full price, okay?
Yea, Amazon Prime Day is about to hit us with a dizzying amount of business, and if you see a GPU for sale that you want to buy, don’t let me make you hesitate. In fact, Prime Day might be your best chance to get a good deal. the best graphics cards before the release of the RTX 4000, because Nvidia will be reluctant to lower the price of existing cards before the new generation is released.
If you’re not shopping for a low-end GPU this Prime Day, get your feet up and stop worrying about graphics cards for a while. Existing GPUs will drop in price once Lovelace cards are released, so you’ll have a chance to save some money or grab a powerful new RTX card – even if that means waiting until December.
Opinion: Nvidia delays could give AMD a chance to regain market share
Nvidia’s RTX cards have been a popular choice among cryptocurrency miners, meaning that during the great GPU drought of 2021 they were the most scalped cards, typically selling far above the MSRP. AMD’s Radeon GPUs weren’t all that popular for mining, so while they were still overpriced, they returned to retail price more quickly than Nvidia’s cards as the chip shortage began to ease.
Of course, that means AMD probably isn’t facing the same overstock situation as Nvidia right now, at least not to the same magnitude. If AMD manages to release its new RNDA 3 GPUs before Nvidia can release its own high-end cards, Team Red has a serious chance to secure a bigger share of the market before Team Green catches up.
Frankly, I hope so – the RTX 4000 is shaping up to be seriously impressive, and if I were AMD, I would be worried. AMD has some nifty chiplet design plans for the RDNA 3 up its sleeve, but regardless of which side launches their new GPUs first, I still encourage you to be patient and wait until the two new generations are available so you don’t get buyers remorse.
Oh and don’t buy one ex-mining GPU just because it’s so cheap. No, I don’t care what the NFT shills on Twitter have to say about this; not worth the risk. Sure, a card from someone’s small home mining rig probably won’t die on you, but a GPU that’s sweating silicon in a warehouse alongside a hundred of its brothers? No thank you.