If you've been watching graphics card prices this autumn, you'll have noticed the headlines don't agree. One report says cards are about 28% over launch price. Another says 86%. A third says the RTX 5090 is more than double. Mostly, they're all right. They're just measuring different things, and knowing which is which matters when you're planning a build.
Two reports, two methods
TweakTown's write-up of TechSpot's tracking looks at prices across ten countries, including the US, UK, Canada and Australia, and averages them. That's where the 28% comes from, and the 15% rise between July and August, with Nvidia up 19% and AMD up 11%. It also singles out the RTX 5090, which sits roughly 136% above its launch price globally.
Digital Citizen's piece is different: one retailer (Newegg), one day (3 October), five cards. It's a snapshot rather than an average, and it says itself that it shows what was listed, not what every seller charges. Pick the cards that have risen most and you get 86%. Pick the cheapest rise and you get 34%.
What the cards looked like
Here are the mid-range cards from the Newegg snapshot, with the launch price (MSRP) against the listed price, in US dollars:
| RTX 5060 Ti 16GB | $429 launch, $799.99 listed (+86%) |
| RTX 5070 | $549 launch, $869.99 listed (+58%) |
| RTX 5070 Ti | $749 launch, $1,169.99 listed (+56%) |
| RTX 5080 | $999 launch, $1,679.99 listed (+68%) |
| RX 9070 XT | $599 launch, $799.99 listed (+34%) |
Notice that the 16GB RTX 5060 Ti is the most inflated of the lot. That's the card I'd have pointed people to a few months ago as the sensible 1440p choice, which is exactly why 16GB of VRAM has become so sought after. Demand follows value, and prices follow demand.
Why it's happening
TweakTown's explanation is that AI companies buying AI-specific graphics cards have pulled GDDR7 memory supply away from consumer cards. Digital Citizen points out that neither Nvidia nor AMD has directly tied graphics card prices to memory costs, though Nvidia has cited memory supply constraints on other products. Nobody has given a date for prices easing, and I won't guess one. I covered the wider picture in the RAM price post.
How to use the numbers
Reading it wrong
- Treating a US percentage as an Irish shelf price
- Comparing an average against one retailer's snapshot
- Assuming every card has risen by the same amount
- Waiting for "MSRP" to come back with no sign it will
Reading it right
- Take the direction and the spread, not the exact figure
- Compare the card you want against its nearest rival
- Check live Irish and UK prices on the day you buy
- Set your budget first, then pick the best card inside it
What I'd take from it
The headlines disagree because the methods do. Underneath, they agree: prices are well above launch levels, they've been climbing, and the gap varies a lot by card.
So fix your budget first and pick the best-value card inside it. Chasing one particular model in this market is how you end up overpaying.
