GPU Prices Are Bad, and They’re About to Get Worse
It’s a rough time to be a GPU buyer. Supplies are low, and President Trump’s tariffs have increased prices for many PC graphics cards by hundreds of dollars, especially if you’re trying to snag an Nvidia GeForce RTX 5090.
As PCMag reports, to put things in perspective, we compiled prices for the most popular PC graphics cards, comparing their launch day price to the current cost you’ll find at online retailers. Unfortunately, prices have increased across the board for Nvidia’s more powerful RTX 5000 cards and AMD’s Radeon 9070 XT. GPUs have long been assembled in China, which faces huge import tariffs.
The data was compiled by looking at price history data from PCPartPicker.com and comparing it to Newegg, Best Buy, B&H Photo, and GPU vendor sites. Many of these GPUs are sold out, but the increased pricing is notable. We also indicated which products are in stock. (Nvidia Founders Edition models were not included since their pricing hasn’t changed.)
A Rundown of GPU Prices
GeForce RTX 5090: Prices Jump by $600 to $700
This GPU launched with a starting price of $1,999, but that’s gone completely out the window unless you’re lucky enough to snag an Nvidia Founders Edition.
GeForce RTX 5080: Well, At Least It’s In Stock
The RTX 5080 was also supposed to start at $999, but the ones for sale often hover closer to $1,600.
GeForce RTX 5070 Ti: More Pain
Meanwhile, the RTX 5070 Ti has experienced a more muted price jump. Still, it would hurt to pay around $1,000 for a GPU that was supposed to start at $749.
AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT: No Relief Here
If you snagged AMD’s Radeon RX 9070 XT while it was $599, consider yourself lucky. The product is still hard to find, and the units we found available cost $899, despite AMD’s effort to encourage MSRP pricing.
Who’s to Blame?
Trump’s 20% tariff on Chinese-assembled goods is receiving much of the blame for the price increases. Although the president exempted PC graphics cards from his 125% tariff on Chinese goods, the crucial PC component was hit with a separate 10% duty in February, which was increased to 20% in March.
Meanwhile, a few PC vendors are blaming greed for the high prices, pointing to GPU distributors demanding more amid low supplies, especially for the RTX 5090.
Still, it actually might not be the worst time to buy a GPU. That’s because PC graphics cards are facing two more sets of additional tariffs in the coming weeks. That includes Trump’s upcoming plan to tariff foreign-made semiconductors, which the US Commerce Secretary has said will also cover computers and phones.
The other is a 25% tariff that Trump imposed during his first term. This tariff targets PC parts, including graphics cards and motherboards. President Biden lifted the tariff, but only temporarily, and that pause is set to expire on May 31. That means the 25% tariff could hit GPUs again unless the White House changes course. So far, the Office of the US Trade Representative hasn’t commented on whether it’ll delay the 25% tariff or let the pause lapse.
In some good news, prices for other PC parts, including motherboards, storage, and CPUs, has remained largely unchanged. But of course, things could dramatically shift if Trump decides to widen his tariffs to cover more electronics and other markets. In the meantime, some PC case makers have already been forced to raise prices to account for the 20% tariff on Chinese goods and another 25% tariff on aluminum goods.
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Photo Credit: Kiklas / Shutterstock.com
