- Cheap GPUs from AMD and Nvidia could be in danger
- This is due to the increase in the cost of video RAM.
- More affordable graphics cards with a disproportionate VRAM load may be removed as they will be severely affected by such price increases.
AMD and Nvidia are rumored to be considering shutting down production of some of their low- and mid-range gaming GPUs due to the rising cost of memory for these boards.
Notebookcheck.net noted that hardware leaker Jukan on
While no model is mentioned specifically, we’re told we’re looking at graphics cards that have stacked VRAM, but are on the more affordable end of the price spectrum.
That means the RX 9060 XT models, which have 16GB of VRAM, and the RTX 5060 Ti spins with 16GB are the obvious candidates in the danger zone.
Other GPUs may also face the cut, with the report expressing broader concern that third-party graphics card makers, such as Asus, are considering “reducing memory configurations.” In other words, possibly eliminating low-end models in favor of beefier GPUs where the price makes more sense when taking into account RAM increases.
Nvidia is also rumored to have delayed updates to its RTX 5000 Super, which are actually loaded with a ton of video memory, due to VRAM shortages.
Analysis: Another sign that Black Friday may be the right time to jump into a new GPU
Obviously we should take this report with a grain of salt, like anything that comes out of the rumor mill, but the cold reality of the component market is that memory prices are actually going up.
And graphics cards have video memory, so this will clearly be unfortunate for the GPU market. It also makes sense that graphics cards disproportionately loaded with VRAM would suffer the most, and there could be a considerable impact among budget models with larger memory reserves. The question is: Will that impact be as broad as this report suggests? Even if some affordable GPU models don’t disappear as suggested, they could become scarcer, leading to supply issues and price increases.
We’ll only know the answer to these concerns later, but it’s becoming increasingly clear that things are not going well in the graphics card market, with previous rumors already suggesting VRAM-related price increases for Nvidia graphics cards. Unfortunately, market demand for more profitable AI is worsening consumer GPU supply issues.
All of which leads us to one likely conclusion: that is, if you want to get a (relatively) affordable GPU, now might be your best chance to do so, with Black Friday discounts already underway. If the rumors are correct, and it seems pretty inevitable at this point, prices are only going in one direction: up, and it’s just a question of how steep that slope will be.
The best graphics cards for all budgets
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