Simply two years in the past, should you requested the place you must go to purchase a graphics card, the reply would have been greater than a little bit difficult. A large GPU scarcity, on-line market insanity and rampant bot patrons and scalpers made shopping for a graphics card as an on a regular basis shopper a real nightmare. On condition that graphics playing cards are a core part for gaming PCs (to not point out a whole lot of artistic workloads) and accountable for truly producing the visuals of a sport, an incapacity to entry a graphics card can imply an incapacity to get pleasure from an excellent many video games. The panorama has modified significantly since then, but it surely’s nonetheless price taking some care in deciding the place to purchase a graphics card.
You need to got down to purchase a graphics card with some information.
One absolute necessity to be sure to’re getting a great deal on a graphics card is to know the way a lot it ought to truly value. So, work out what the MSRP of the graphics card you’re in search of is. AMD, Intel and Nvidia can all supply some steering on this, as they’re those making the GPU that sits on the coronary heart of every graphics card.
If you happen to’re after an AMD card, you’ll be able to look it up on AMD’s web site. As an illustration, the product web page for the Radeon RX 7900 XTX features a beginning worth of $969. AMD even has its personal retailer with the power to purchase a few of its playing cards.
If you happen to’re after Intel, the corporate doesn’t readily listing the worth of its graphics playing cards. Nonetheless, it’s not exhausting to search out MSRP information. When new playing cards launch, many tech web sites will cowl the launch and listing pricing particulars.
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Nvidia makes it easy to know what costs you have to be in search of. If you happen to go to the product web page for considered one of its playing cards, just like the RTX 3070, you will discover beginning costs listed. There’s additionally a “Store All” button on the web page that’ll present much more helpful data. That web page will present you costs for playing cards from Nvidia’s board companions — the manufacturers like Asus, Gigabyte, Zotac and extra, which construct Nvidia’s GPUs into their very own graphics playing cards.
Understanding the MSRP offers you a strong footing to know when a worth you’re seeing out within the wild is truthful and when it’s good old school gouging. Board companions typically have their very own fashions that may add out-of-the-box overclocking, further cooling or further options, and these can inflate wherever from tens to tons of of {dollars} on the excessive finish, making it a little bit trickier to know should you’re seeing a great deal. What you must search for on this case is to see if the worth continues to be beneath the following GPU class up (i.e., the costliest RTX 4070 from one board companion ought to nearly at all times be cheaper than the most cost effective RTX 4070 Ti).
Discovering a great worth can get trickier should you’re a number of generations of graphics playing cards. Paying MSRP for a card that’s been changed by a brand new technology is a nasty transfer. It’s exhausting to say simply what an older card needs to be price, however oftentimes you’ll be able to see the top-end graphics card of a previous technology on sale for lower than the worth of the following decrease tier (e.g., an RTX 3080 cheaper than an RTX 4070). Graphics card evaluations typically examine efficiency between generations, so you’ll be able to verify to see if the older card continues to be aggressive in opposition to a more moderen mannequin and consider its price-to-performance for your self.
Now let’s have a look at what retailers you’ll be able to depend on to discover a graphics card.
Greatest Purchase is under no circumstances the very best retailer for PC components, but it surely’s a secure wager for graphics playing cards. Even in the course of the worst of the GPU shortages, I by no means noticed Greatest Purchase listing graphics playing cards for clearly marked-up costs. Greatest Purchase presents on-line orders with transport or retailer pickup, supplying you with some choices for the way and when you may get your card as properly. And should you’re in search of a reduction on a card that’s not truly on sale, you’ll be able to generally discover open-box stock that has a lower cost than an unopened product. Not like shopping for secondhand, you’ll be able to return an open-box product to Greatest Purchase if one thing is improper.
Listed below are a number of sturdy choices from Greatest Purchase:
If you happen to’re fortunate sufficient to dwell in an space with a Micro Heart, you’ve obtained probably the greatest choices for PC parts round. You’ll be able to verify Micro Heart’s internet retailer for graphics playing cards and discover a huge assortment of choices. Some can be accessible for transport, however Micro Heart’s bread and butter is in-store gross sales. For the very best outcomes, you’ll need to choose a retailer close to you and search its stock. Like Greatest Purchase, I by no means caught Micro Heart marking up its graphics card inventory, and the corporate even actively discovered methods to discourage scalpers and look out for common customers.
Listed below are a number of sturdy choices from Micro Heart:
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B&H presents a variety of electronics, and it has no small collection of graphics playing cards. It carries the newest choice and presents quick transport. Like Greatest Purchase and Micro Heart, its costs mirror people who producers set. I didn’t see any doubtful pricing from B&H in the course of the shortages, and there’s all of the much less probability of scalping costs now that stock is again to regular.
Listed below are a number of sturdy choices from B&H:
Newegg is likely one of the only on-line shops in terms of searching for PC components. It has a whole lot of procuring filters that will help you slender down outcomes to solely the gadgets that match your wants. It typically has promotions and reductions, and transport is free on many merchandise. It additionally has extraordinarily in depth graphics card choices. Through the GPU shortages, it wasn’t the very best place to buy, because it had obnoxious raffles and infrequently compelled buyers to decide on between paying for a bundle with further parts they won’t want or not getting a graphics card. The scenario seems higher currently, although. Nonetheless, with so many listings and third-party sellers, you’ll be able to’t at all times be certain the itemizing you’re in search of is an efficient deal, so remember to examine costs.
Listed below are a number of sturdy choices from Newegg:
Amazon and Walmart will be respectable locations to select up a brand new graphics card, however they take some care. You’ll need to go in armed with info on what the graphics card you’re in search of ought to truly value and be sure to discover it. Absurdly marked-up costs have been prevalent on Amazon and Walmart in the course of the GPU shortages, and you may nonetheless see unusually inflated costs from third-party sellers. For each websites, it’s price seeking to affirm that the vendor is Amazon, Walmart or the graphics card producer itself. If you happen to use Amazon, the web site CamelCamelCamel can present you the worth historical past of a product as properly, letting you see if the worth is at a low level or should you may maintain out for a decrease one.
Listed below are a number of sturdy choices from Amazon and Walmart:
And listed below are a number of examples of poor pricing on these websites:
If you recognize a particular graphics card you need — say, Gigabyte’s Aero 4070 to slot in with an all-white gaming PC construct — you’ll be able to generally discover them on the market straight from the producer.
Right here’s a fast listing of board makers with on-line shops that inventory their graphics playing cards:
Understanding the place and figuring out when
As useful as it’s to know the place you should purchase a graphics card, it may be simply as useful to know when to purchase one. Holidays typically coincide with giant gross sales that may see reductions on graphics playing cards, making them sturdy occasions to purchase. We additionally repeatedly scour the online for excellent offers on electronics, so you’ll be able to regulate CNN Underscored Offers for reductions on graphics playing cards. Timing in product life cycles also can enable you make sure you’re getting a great worth. Typically, information and rumors can warn you to the discharge of recent graphics playing cards. If you recognize a brand new technology of graphics playing cards is coming, you must anticipate the brand new playing cards to land at MSRP or for the previous playing cards to drop beneath their authentic worth.
