If you are a cryptominer, I automatically hate you. And you’re right, I’d probably be singing a different tune had I jumped on the crypto bandwagon early on and made enough money to live a nice, comfortable life. But I didn’t, so, go to hell.
Since the most recent Bitcoin boom, hundreds of people, even those that had no interest in learning anything computer related, have jump on board the cryptocurrency train. Most of us knew what this would mean for gamers, but none of us expected these extremes.
The shiny graphics card that I hesitated buying last year, is now double the price. Double!
My wallet is crying tears of blood, and I still need the part to finish my new computer. But will it go back down to a reasonable price any time soon? Well, that depends on two main factors.
2018: new me, new graphics cards. Nvidia and AMD are bound to release new GPUs sometime soon, and with those, the prices of the current ones are bound to go down, or at least we’re praying to the computer gods that they do. The new GPUs, when they do come out, will be more powerful than the current models. However, and with a hopeful price drop, the current models are still powerful pieces of hardware that should be enough for any gamer’s need.
The other main factor, is the price of cryptocurrency itself. Granted that this boom has lasted a lot longer than the previous ones, the bubble has to burst eventually. When it does, current GPUs should revert back to a more reasonable price. Whether that’s MSRP however, is not entirely clear.
Price is unfortunately not the only issue. These cards are so scarce that the second they’re back in stock, they’re sold out within hours. It’s gotten to the point that I’ve been looking at pre-made builds and toying with the idea of buying one just so that I can get a graphics card. I could even sell all the other parts, and probably get back pretty close to what I would be paying for just the card.
What if we buy cryptominer’s old GPUs? I know you guys and gals might be tempted to do this, but I implore you not to. These cards are being worked to the bone, running 24/7. Even if the miners are smart about making sure the cards aren’t overheating and other factors that affect its life cycle, there’s just no way to know what condition the card is in until you test it out for yourself. Thanks to this, and given the fact that you would most likely be paying MSRP for a USED card, it’s not worth it.
For now, all we can do is wait.
