NVIDIA Graphics Cards Skyrocket, Pushing Prices Past 160,000 Yuan for Top Models

Graphics card prices, particularly those from NVIDIA, have skyrocketed, causing distress among PC gamers and retailers alike. The cost of assembling a custom PC, once a more budget-friendly option, is becoming increasingly prohibitive due to escalating prices for graphics cards, memory, and processors.

NVIDIA's high-end graphics cards have experienced the most dramatic price increases. For instance, the entry-level RTX 5050 8GB, originally priced at 8,590 yuan, now costs between 13,000 and 14,000 yuan. Mainstream models like the RTX 5060 Ti 16GB and RTX 5070 12GB have seen price hikes exceeding 50%. The RTX 5060 Ti 16GB, initially priced at 15,990 yuan, now demands around 25,000 yuan.

The most striking increase is for the top-tier RTX 5090 32GB, whose price has nearly doubled from its suggested retail price of 71,990 yuan to approximately 160,000 yuan. Even older models, such as the RTX 3060 12GB, which was once considered an affordable option under 10,000 yuan, are now approaching 16,000 yuan.

Compounding the issue, many online retailers are no longer selling high-end NVIDIA graphics cards individually. Instead, they are bundling them with other components like processors and motherboards, forcing customers to purchase entire system upgrades. This practice means acquiring an RTX 5090 32GB could necessitate a budget of over 200,000 yuan for a complete setup. Retailers warn that these price increases may not be over, with potential further hikes expected for memory and processor prices.