I recently came across a new series of graphics cards that offer significant innovations. With the advancement of this technology, prices have also increased. Are these price hikes profitable for consumers in the long run, or is it just a temporary surge? How does the performance-to-price ratio stand?
Does this end-user pricing make sense?
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Well, I remember when the same thing happened with the RTX 20xx series. In 2018, I bought a 2070 Founders Edition (yes, the one with the "broken thermal pads") for €600 because I thought it was a crazy Black Friday deal. A year later, the 3070 came out and the price dropped to €550. I didn’t even keep it a year—I sold it like it was a steal.
Now I see the same thing happening with the RX 7900 XTX: people are paying €1000+ for a card that loses 20% of its value in less than six months like it’s nothing. It’s like buying a CS:GO skin for €20 only for it to be worth €5 the next day… except this is real hardware. I can’t shake the feeling that planned obsolescence in GPUs isn’t just a rumor anymore—it’s a business model.
That said, my 2070 lasted three years without issues, but with today’s architectures, the cycle is getting shorter. If you invest in a 7900 XTX today, how long will it take to pay for itself before the next-gen drops? They’re already talking about RTX 50xx in 2024…
Here’s the main issue: it’s not just about the initial purchase price, but the long-term cost. I’ve worked on smart home projects that need faster processing than traditional surveillance cameras—like laser scanners in different dimensional systems and how they integrate with robots. Even though this new version was expensive at first, after six months, the price became reasonable. Why? Because many thermal radiation advancements like organic control panels now have cheaper alternatives.
The problem isn’t just the price tag—it’s about balancing the current cost with staying relevant in the market. What usually happens is that after one or two years, the price drops as a new generation of the same series hits the market. But if you’re buying now, you have to consider that it’s not just about high specs—it’s about justifying what you’re paying for in terms of experimentation.