Graphics Cards Are All Set To Become More Expensive Very Soon

If the ongoing supply issues and resurgence in cryptocurrency mining isn't enough to make grabbing a new graphics card challenging, prices for them might soon be increasing in the US to make stock even harder to come by.

The price increase might soon affect numerous GPU manufacturers, as waivers that kept trade tariffs at bay have now expired. President Trump instigated a trade war with China in 2018, which would've increased GPU prices had companies not applied for waivers to prevent it. Those waivers expired, however, this month, meaning tariffs between 7.5% to 25% can now be applied to all PC hardware.

ASUS is the only company that has acknowledged this right now, writing to customers to explain why they might encounter higher than expected prices on products.

"Our new MSRP reflects increases in cost for components. operating costs, and logistical activities plus a continuation of import tariffs," Juan Jose Guerrero III, ASUS' technical product marketing manager wrote in a statement via TechPowerUp. "We worked closely with our supply and logistic partners to minimize price increases. ASUS greatly appreciates your continued business and support as we navigate through this time of unprecedented market change."

There's already some instances where the ASUS-branded RTX 3090 is on sale for $1980, an increase from its previous $1799 MSRP. Similarly, ASUS' cheapest RTX 3080 now retails for $860, while breaking the $1000 mark for some variants. It's challenging to see how widespread these increases will be given the fluctuating supply levels and secondhand pricing of all of Nvidia's RTX 30-series cards, but it's likely prices across the board will increase in some way given how many components are manufactured in China.

Nvidia is set to host a livestream on November 12 to showcase the future of GeForce graphics technology. The company has not indicated if new hardware will be revealed, too.