Why It Is So Hard to Buy Graphics Cards in 2021

Global Chip Shortage

GPUs (Graphics Processing Units) are nowadays regarded as the most essential component when building a desktop computer. They are what allow your computer to render high-end 3D objects in games, use editing software for both creative and professional use, view multimedia content, and do a plethora of other important day-to-day uses.

As of late, this essential component used for any computer has run dry. Anyone who has attempted to buy a relatively high-end machine for either work or play has probably noticed the large spike in prices. While higher-end GPUs have been out of stock consistently to meet the demands of stay-at-home workers during Covid-19, so have lower-end ones as well.

This is due to the worldwide silicon shortage that is plaguing every major technology retailer in the world, affecting companies that you would not expect as well. Silicon is used to make computer chips which are also known as semiconductors. Due to the pandemic, silicon manufacturing has been down by at least half.

Semiconductors are used in almost every digital product, and this ranging from smartphones to cars. While the effects of the silicon shortage are felt by every major retailer in the technology, GPUs have been impacted in a much more drastic way.

Devon S., a ninth-grader at AISGZ said,” I really want to buy a pc at the moment, but I can’t. It’s better to just wait because of how messed up prices are for GPUs.”

There are two major GPU manufacturers, Nvidia and AMD. Both of Whom have been hit by the silicon shortage hard. As of late, both manufacturers have released both of their newest graphics cards into the market. However, due to the global silicon shortage, they cannot meet consumers’ demands. From being unable to meet consumer needs, many unforeseen issues have arisen.

Leo K., a tenth grader in AISGZ and 30-series graphics card owner said,” My brother helped me buy my graphics card because Taiwan had been hit with the storage slightly later than the rest of the world. At the moment graphics, cards are priced pretty crazily and it’s really hard to come by a reasonable deal.”

Scalpers

Scalpers are people that buy a rare item for MSRP (retail price) and resell that item for exorbitantly high prices on sites such as eBay because no one can get their hands on the newest technology. Graphics cards are always bought out immediately when retailers restock their inventories as they are often scrounged by bots that scalpers use to buy out the GPUs. This leaves legitimate buyers in the dust and with no graphics card.

While Nvidia priced their newest and highest-end thirty-series cards for relatively cheap. It does not really matter because most consumers cannot get their hands on one anyways. In the end, many people give in and buy from scalpers out of desperation despite the ridiculous pricing.

Cryptocurrency Miners

Cryptocurrency miners heavily rely on graphics cards to mine ‘blocks’ for cryptocurrency. These blocks, the majority of the time, are highly profitable and require a GPU to run at their maximum processing limit. Why Cryptocurrency Miners serve as a huge problem is because they use 4 graphics cards at a time per ‘mining rig’ and afterward the graphics cards are broken beyond repair. This is because the graphics cards are used to their limit (overheated and burnt on the inside), so they have little to no resale value as they become almost unusable.

This year, Nvidia attempted to stop cryptocurrency miners from buying their 3060 graphics cards by integrating drivers that automatically detect cryptocurrency mining. Once detected, the card would be unable to mine ever again. However, this had failed miserably, because the driver could also simply re-enable mining.

The Future of GPUs

While it is truly unclear as to when the global silicon shortage will cease to exist, the global GPU shortage will most likely continue throughout this year and likely extend into the next. Graphics card manufacturers have just begun to manufacture cards at pre-pandemic levels; however, demand is higher than ever, and manufacturers still cannot keep up.