Video cards are so expensive, you’re better off buying an entire desktop PC

By Luke Larsen February 2, 2018

Dell XPS 8930 Tower Review — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Let’s be real. It’s taken way too long for companies like AMD and Nvidia to address the issue of skyrocketing GPU prices.

Thanks to cryptocurrency miners nabbing up GTX 1080s like they’re gold, it hasn’t been easy for the everyday gamer to build or upgrade their PC. There’s been some attempt by retailers and manufacturers to get graphics cards to gamers, but it feels more like grandstanding than actually solving the problem.

The truth is that if you want to go out there and buy a new GPU, it’s going to cost you way more than it should. Over on eBay or Newegg, prices for something like a GTX 1060 with 6GB of GDDR5 range anywhere from $500 to $800. If you want something like a GTX 1080, you’re looking well over a thousand bucks.

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The best solution to the problem might be to just put a hold on your plans to build a PC. AMD has finally announced plans to ramp up production to address the problem, and Samsung is already planning on developing chips specifically for the purpose of cryptocurrency mining. Finger crossed — the issue might be solved by the end of 2018, but a lot of that depends on the rollercoaster ride of bitcoin values.

graphics card shortage — Image used with permission by copyright holder

However, there is another option. We recently reviewed the Dell XPS 8930, a modest desktop PC that looks nothing like a gaming tower. Beneath the surface, our review configuration came with a GeForce GTX 1060 with 6GB of GDDR5 that dominated our benchmarks and tests. It might not do 4K gaming at 60 frames per second, but most people will be pretty happy with the game performance here. The entire system costs $1,000, while the graphics card itself will cost you almost $800 on its own.

Want to do one better? Go over and check out the new Dell Inspiron 5675 Gaming Desktop, which comes the GTX 1060 with 3GB of GDDR5 and the same CPU, but starts at only $750. We haven’t benchmarked the Inspiron yet, but there’s no reason to think it wouldn’t be in the same ballpark.

Until Nvidia, AMD, and their various manufacturing partners figure out how to fix this problem, your best bet just might be to check out one of Dell’s new desktop PCs.

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Senior Editor, Computing

Luke Larsen is the Senior editor of computing, managing all content covering laptops, monitors, PC hardware, Macs, and more.

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