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The GPU market has seen a dramatic shift in pricing and availability over the last year. After years of inflated prices and limited stock due to chip shortages and supply chain issues, GPU prices have finally come crashing down thanks to improved manufacturing capabilities and decreased demand. This price war between AMD and NVIDIA couldn’t have come at a better time for gamers looking to build or upgrade their PCs.
Recapping the GPU Market Over the Past Few Years
Up until early 2020, GPU pricing and availability was fairly stable. However, the emergence of COVID-19 and the resulting lockdowns put massive strain on the supply chain. Chip shortages soon followed as key manufacturing hubs were forced to operate at limited capacity.
Making matters worse was the surge in demand for GPUs from cryptocurrency miners during this time. Popular cryptocurrencies like Ethereum saw their values skyrocket, causing miners to buy up graphics cards to power their mining rigs. This perfect storm of low supply and spiking demand caused GPU prices to jump to insane levels.
For nearly two years, gamers struggled to buy the latest GPUs from AMD and NVIDIA anywhere close to MSRP. The only way to get your hands on one without paying an arm and a leg was to win a shuffle or queue up for hours on launch day. Needless to say, the GPU market was in a terrible place for the average consumer.
Radeon RX 7900 XTX vs RTX 4080 – Flagship Showdown
Let’s start by looking at how the flagship gaming GPUs of 2024 from AMD and NVIDIA compare, namely the Radeon RX 7900 XTX and the GeForce RTX 4080.
The RX 7900 XTX goes toe-to-toe with NVIDIA’s RTX 4080, despite being $100 cheaper. It uses AMD’s new RDNA 3 architecture, packing 96 compute units and 24GB of GDDR6 memory with a 384-bit bus, delivering blistering fast performance.
In benchmarks, the 7900 XTX trades blows with the 4080 in traditional rasterization performance. However, NVIDIA still holds a commanding lead in ray tracing and AI-powered graphics like DLSS 3. The 4080 can enable much higher visual fidelity in games that support those advanced features.
Both cards retail at reasonable prices now. The RTX 4080 16GB has an MSRP of $1,199, while AMD undercuts it at $999 for the 7900 XTX. Considering the insane pricing of the last few years, these flagship GPUs are now attainable for many gamers.
Radeon RX 7700 XT Battles RTX 4070 Ti for $799 Crown
Stepping down to more mid-range offerings, AMD and NVIDIA have been aggressively pricing their GPUs to compete for the crucial $700 to $900 segment. This is where the vast majority of gamers are looking to spend for a new graphics card.
AMD recently launched the Radeon RX 7700 XT to go head-to-head with NVIDIA’s RTX 4070 Ti. Both GPUs retail right around $799 MSRP, representing a tremendous value compared to last generation.
The RX 7700 XT utilizes the same RDNA 3 architecture as the flagship 7900 XTX, with 60 compute units and 12GB of GDDR6 memory. It delivers exceptional 1440p and entry-level 4K gaming performance on par with the 4070 Ti. AMD is boasting up to 30% better frame rates per dollar compared to NVIDIA.
However, the 4070 Ti still holds advantages in ray tracing and DLSS 3 over AMD. So if you want the absolute best visuals with those effects enabled, NVIDIA remains the leader in this price range. But for pure traditional rasterization, the 7700 XT is a mighty fine option for $799.
RX 7600 XT & RTX 4060 Duke It Out for $399 GPU Gaming Crown
Stepping down further, AMD and NVIDIA are fiercely competing for leadership in the mainstream GPU segment around $399. This is a hugely important price bracket for the majority of gamers looking to game comfortably at 1080p and 1440p.
AMD’s Radeon RX 7600 XT goes toe-to-toe with NVIDIA’s recently announced GeForce RTX 4060. Both GPUs retail between $379 to $399, delivering very strong 1080p and 1440p gaming performance at this reasonable price point.
The RX 7600 XT packs 36 compute units and comes equipped with 12GB of GDDR6 memory. It’s built on AMD’s power efficient RDNA 3 architecture, promising up to 35% faster performance per watt versus last generation. According to AMD, it outmuscles NVIDIA’s RTX 3060 by up to 43% in traditional gaming benchmarks.
However, the RTX 4060 does support advanced graphics features lacking in the 7600 XT, namely ray tracing and DLSS 3. So if you want cutting edge visuals enabled in your games, NVIDIA still holds the advantage in technologies. But for sheer rasterization muscle, the RX 7600 XT goes punch for punch with the RTX 4060 at this $399 price range.
RX 7500 XT Battles GTX 1630 In Budget $159 Entry-Level Segment
For gamers on a very tight budget, AMD and NVIDIA are competing for the crucial entry-level segment around $159 with their Radeon RX 7500 XT and GeForce GTX 1630 graphics cards respectively. These low cost cards target playable 1080p gaming while keeping prices down.
AMD’s RX 7500 XT delivers respectable 1080p gaming performance utilizing 6nm RDNA 2 architecture. It’s equipped with 12 compute units and comes with 8GB of GDDR6 memory across a narrow 64-bit bus. Going head to head with NVIDIA’s GTX 1630, it promises superior performance and efficiency versus the competing entry level offering.
However, the GTX 1630 still supports NVIDIA exclusive features like DLSS and NVENC encoding. So if you need those capabilities on an extremely tight budget, the 1630 may be worth considering over AMD’s option. But in terms raw graphics horsepower, the RX 7500 XT looks to come out on top at $159.
Used GPU Market Benefits from Price War
The new GPU price war hasn’t just made latest generation cards more affordable. It has also caused a significant drop in used and last generation graphics card pricing. So there are now fantastic options to choose from if you don’t necessarily need the latest tech.
For example, a used NVIDIA RTX 3060 Ti that once sold for $800+ at the peak can now easily be found in the $300 to $400 range. The same goes for AMD’s last generation RX 6700 XT, with models dipping well below $300 on the secondary market. Even higher end used GPUs like the RTX 3080 are reaching reasonable sub $500 pricing after years of inflated costs.
So gamers who don’t necessarily need the latest architectural advancements can score tremendous value buying modern used graphics cards. Thanks to the price war bringing down costs across the board, options that deliver solid 1440p and entry level 4K gaming can now be purchased at bargain prices compared to the last two years.
Conclusion – It’s a Great Time to Buy or Upgrade Your GPU
After years of inflated GPU prices and limited availability, 2024 has seen the market turn heavily in favor of gamers wanting to purchase graphics cards. Thanks to post-crypto crash easing of demand and recovering supply chains, pricing has come down significantly across AMD and NVIDIA’s product stack.
Healthy competition between Team Red and Team Green is also forcing more aggressive GPU pricing. AMD and NVIDIA are trading blows to compete for market share across budget, mainstream and high end segments. This is translating into more performance per dollar across the board.
From a $159 entry-level RX 7500 XT to a top tier $999 Radeon RX 7900 XTX, there are now much more affordable options than last generation. Used and previous generation deals are especially abundant too thanks to crashing secondary market prices.
In summary, 2024 is shaping up to be a redemption year for gamers wanting to build or upgrade their PCs. We’re finally getting access to powerful graphics cards at reasonable prices again. So if you’ve been stuck gaming on an aging GPU wanting modern upgrades, now’s the time to start shopping around!