Video Cards, Gaming Systems and shortages?

[MJuric]

This is on and off topic I suppose.

Does anyone have any information on when the massive shortage in all things video cards will seem to end? I was looking at building a new system several months ago and decided I would go with something that was "Non Quadro". However over the last six months it seems video cards have turned to gold with prices for nearly any of the gaming RTX version coming near to the price of quadro cards. Even the older ones are ridiculously priced.

On top of that the shortage of video cards is making other things like gaming counsels impossible to get. I've been attempting to buy an XBox X Series for the kid since last Nov and they simply don't exist. If a couple of his friends didn't have them already I would be assuming they were actually vapor ware.

[jcapriotti]

From what I read, it's a combinations of Trump tariffs on Chinese goods combined with reduced production due to Covid. So hopefully this year we can all get back to somewhat normal.

After working at home for a year, our office is opening next month.

[MJuric]

From what I read, it's a combinations of Trump tariffs on Chinese goods combined with reduced production due to Covid. So hopefully this year we can all get back to somewhat normal.

After working at home for a year, our office is opening next month.

I find this all entirely odd. China has been open pretty much full bore since April or May so I have a hard time believing there's a supply issue there.

I was out of the office for less than a month and have been back ever since. Almost every manufacturing facility I know of never closed down.

Not that I'm a cynic but it sure does seem like a while lot of people are taking advantage of the crisis. Microsoft is doing a darn good job of keeping scarcity on their Xbox counsels. Oddly enough you can always get one if you ALSO sign up for their "All access pass", but somehow there's not enough if you just want a counsel.

[jcapriotti]

China may be up and running but most other countries aren't, appears to be supply chain issues plus increased demand due to lots of people working from home and buying more PC/Laptops. So less supply and lots of demand = $$$. We are trying to order replacement laptops for engineers and there are huge delays from HP.

Anyway, here's the article.
https://www.digitaltrends.com/computing ... tage-2020/

Our factory never shut down either but only essential personnel are onsite. So engineers on the factory floor for example but all of our development engineering and contract engineering has been at home since last March.

[matt]

Chinese new year ended recently, maybe that has something to do with it in the short term.

[idesignhaus]

No, my nephew hit the nail on the head. Cards are being sucked up to mine Bitcoin. At the price of 60,000 Federal Reserve Notes, you can do well mining tiny fractions of BTC. Those cards also work great as space heaters.

[Frederick_Law]

Yes, all the cards went to mining. Lots of them did went to China. Where Government subsidize to keep electricity price low.

Try to buy direct from nVidia or AMD.

[berg_lauritz]

Don't forget the BTC surge adding even more value to graphic cards...

[MJuric]

No, my nephew hit the nail on the head. Cards are being sucked up to mine Bitcoin. At the price of 60,000 Federal Reserve Notes, you can do well mining tiny fractions of BTC. Those cards also work great as space heaters.

I also found out that PS5 and Xbox Xseries are using the same GPU chip supposedly. So you have to major consoles using the same chip being released at similar times.

[MJuric]

Yes, all the cards went to mining. Lots of them did went to China. Where Government subsidize to keep electricity price low.

Try to buy direct from nVidia or AMD.

I can't imagine either will under cut the market and right now the gaming cards are running as high as the professional cards. Professional cards are readily available but I was looking at saving $400 or more dollars by going with a gaming card and dealing with the fallout using on SW. Last I looked though the gaming cards where going for only a couple hundred less than their professional counter parts.

[Frederick_Law]

They're not undercutting market.
They try to maintain price and stock for gamer.
Currently gamer can't get video card.
Of course there is nothing to stop anyone from reselling at higher price.
nVidia try to cripple video card so they have lower mining speed then their mining card.

https://betanews.com/2021/02/20/nvidia- ... some-gpus/