Why are graphic cards so damn expensive? Several years ago you could get the absolute top of the line card for less than $200 USD. The price for this card approaches $600 USD! The only reason graphics card manufacturers charges these prices is because people are foolish enough to pay them.
My limit on a graphics card is now $300, and i plan to buy a new one every two years, unless i can wait more than that. And i plan to build a whole new system everytime MS comes out with a new version of windows.
Adam Kolak Moderator - Hardware Analysis
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Not a bad plan, cept I wouldnt say you would plan anything by Microsoft, just find something else that is coincidentally released at the same time. Or maybe by every other winter/summer olympics?
With the s**tty computer I have (APG only), I was planning to upgrade my computer this Fall to get R520 but I might not. Here's why: R600 (800MHZ, Vertex Unfied thing, 1.8Ram, 512MB, 64 pipelines, all features found in X-Box 360-rumored) DDR2 support for AMD, dedicated physic processor, Quad Core CPU and last, Longhorn will all be out by 2007, plus updated of Crossfire and SLI. So I might leave my computer as it is and wait until that time. It's fine with me because PS3 and X-Box 360 will be out (I plan to buy both). They will play ANY video games, including PC games easily plus online service that can support more than 64 players if they want to. Then I will build entirely new system in 2007 with all of them in it. But damn, I can't f**king wait that long lol. We'll see.
I think the increase in price is due not to the decline in the value of the dollar (since there has barly been any lately) but instead of the fact of the increse of the cost to make the cards themself. Today there is much more technologly put into the same amount of space than there was 5 years ago.
"Inflation" LOL BULLSHOES. 200 to 600 bucks in 3-4 years? Yeah right. I think it's that you want a good videocard, you have nowhere to run but ATi or nVidia. What others do we have ? XGI? yeah ...rofl. We have no choice but to get one of these. Plus cards are harder to make in some sence. Graphic cards use such advanced technologies these day, that only in the years to come we will see 256/512bit DDR3 or 4 on our PC's. So just to summer this up, theyre much more expensive because both nvidia and ati realize that the consumer can't get anything else, and therefore they set pretty much any price they want. The consumer WILL pay 300,400,500 bucks because its the only choice we have.
It is demand. Even to this day, I can go to Fry's Electronics in California, and they NEVER have X800's or 6800's on the shelf. I jumped on the 6800 Ultra early, and had to mail order from Monarch Computers in Georgia, US.
They are trying to have me believe that the yeild on the GPU's are about 100 in 1000.... By the prices they are charging. The only cards I see on the shelves, ready to buy now, I am not even interested in.
Yes, video cards are pricy, I have had about 4 generations of $400 cards, before I had to pay 600 for the 6800 Ultra, I jumped on that bandwagon quick. And I am not even gonna think about getting a 512 meg card, for around 1 grand.
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