That Graphics Card Situation

Those who make up the PC community and have not lived under a rock for much of the past year will be aware of the dire situation concerning graphics cards. For those just getting into the scene though, the graphics card market is currently facing a crisis. In the past, it used to be as simple as ordering one online or going to the local computer store to buy one. While this could prove pricey depending on the version, it was a simple enough experience where the price reflected the performance that the user would get. In a world changed by the pandemic though, this notion is a thing of the past that hardware enthusiasts can only fantasise about now.

Graphics cards are one of the most important parts of any computer, as they are the component that allows the user to see what is happening on the screen as well as running games and carrying out other standard processes. When it comes to a gaming PC though, they are especially important and are in fact necessary for building a PC capable of running the latest games. Despite this, over the last year, the price of graphics cards has astronomically raised and become unaffordable to many gamers looking to buy one to complete their builds. The situation does not just affect the PC community, but also the gaming industry. Many might have noticed how difficult it has been to purchase the next generation of consoles. This is because they have graphics cards inside them.

Those who were eagerly anticipating AMD’s and Nvidia’s new line of high-performance video cards could not have anticipated the situation that would become apparent as the pandemic went on. These people probably thought that they would score a GPU on the day of the launch, or soon after, but it became clear this would not be the case. People found that they could log into retailer websites to try and buy a graphics card, but when it came to carrying out the order, it failed. The supply of graphics cards was simply too low to satisfy demand, something that was exacerbated by the pandemic and the closing of critical factories that were conducive to providing the materials needed for crafting graphics cards.

Too much demand and not enough supply eventually created the situation we see ourselves in now, where cards do exist, but customers will have to pay a heavily marked up price for the privilege of owning one of the hot pieces of tech. This process is known as ‘scalping’ and is admittedly a fast way to make money but is seen as unscrupulous by much of the community as it keeps those who cannot afford the steep prices from building their PCs to play the games they want on. This meant that over the lockdowns, many could not use gaming as a source of entertainment and would have no doubt looked to other sources such as online gambling, find options here at maximumcasinos.com, to pass the time. However, market trends show that the price of cards is steadily decreasing, giving hope to gamers everywhere.

As the production of cards ramp back up, the hope is that the supply will eventually catch up with demand, and finally allow gamers to purchase cards at reasonable prices once again.