Chinese GPU miners slowed my Computer Upgrading ‘n Building down, but that’s nothing compared to what they have done to the Gamers. Heck, Gamers have helped the computer ‘n computer components industries grow ‘n advance technology for decades, and its been difficult to watch them struggle during these shortages. Don’t know enough about Professional users or those GPUs to form an opinion.

Today, if you’re a Gamer, the Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) is the most important component in your computer and/or build. However, finding the right one at a price you can afford is nigh on impossible right now.

I may be seeing a slight break in the shortage over the past day or two…something besides that ridiculously old ‘n currently overpriced GeForce GTX 1050 Ti OC 4GB. A few weeks ago I decided to add my name to the Special EVGA 30 Series notify list…for any two fan version, since I figured the three fan ones would be popular with the gamers, and I didn’t really want one that big. Not a peep ‘n I haven’t actually kept an accurate count of the time that has pass, i.e. a “few weeks” could’ve been 5-6 weeks.

Over the past 7-10 days I have been seeing the GeForce GTX 1650 OC 4GB slowly showing up, and over the past 3 days there have been lots of them for sale. Not a bad GPU ‘n ranks well within the top 75-100 GPUs (within Top 100 HERE for the G3D Mark on “High End Videocards”). Still over $200++++ of price before shortages hit big time, and I’m looking for a much better GeForce 30 Series card at not much over $200 of the suggested MSRP.

Definitely something is going on…maybe just akin to something like the eye of a hurricane, but I’m seeing an actual variety of GPU stock over the past day or 2, e.g. Geforce RTX 2060 OC 6G (in Top 50) ‘n GeForce GTX 1660 Ti OC 6G.

4-5 days ago, was checking out Newegg ‘n I saw they were out of GPU stock as usual, but the MSI GeForce RTX 3060 had an unusual note…sorta suggesting they were expecting some stock to come in soon. It was listed at $509.99 (plus $9.99 shipping – unusual for Newegg) so I signed up for a “Price Alert” at $510.

Got an email day-before-yesterday (19th) saying to check the Newegg Shuffle which gave me the link to their actual Newegg Shuffle:

Got another email yesterday (20th) with more offers. No guarantee that you get picked, but top GPU’s have showed up there for two days in a row. No two fan GPUs except the one on the 19th that had a two fan AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT…heard they were good, but I just don’t trust AMD for my GPUs (AMD ‘n Linux are often troublesome together).

Guess I’m more of a hobbyist – OSes ‘n building/upgrading computers – so am not in any serious need for a GPU right now. May jump on a great price and/or a GeForce 30 Series…would love to find a GeForce RTX 3060 Ti Founders Edition for $550 (MSRP @ $399)! May go ahead ‘n do some GPU switching around in My Computers – mainly for testing what might work if ‘n when I add a new GPU.

Such testing will help refresh my mind on what Power Supplies I have in the computers ‘n what type of GPU power connections they have. For example, my GeForce GTX 1050 Ti OC 4GB gets its 75 watts of power thru the PCIE slot so it doesn’t need a GPU power connection, which gives me the option of seeing how better it can be used, perhaps in another SFF case that has a small stock PSU in it. My 1660’s have 8-pin connectors, but some of these newer GPU’s I’m looking at require two 8-pin or one 8-pin ‘n one 6-pin connection. Here is a useful link for anyone thinking about a new GPU right now…

How to Choose a Graphics Card:

Gaming – Buying the best GPU you can afford is a good way to future-proof your build, and keep it ready to play popular games that have yet to be released. That said, if you know exactly the kind of games you want to play, doing a bit of research on the ideal GPU to run that title is a great way to start your shopping process.

Video and professional applications – Those who use their PCs for complex tasks like 3D rendering, game development, and video editing also benefit from faster GPUs. High-end applications like AutoCAD and Adobe Premiere Pro can make use of GPUs to speed up processing, and make for faster and more efficient workflows .. snip .. That’s why there’s an entire segment of GPUs designed specifically for professionals. These workstation GPUs are optimized for these applications, and their drivers are certified to be stable and reliable when undertaking these operations.

Everyone else – If you aren’t gaming or running demanding professional applications that can use a GPU to speed things up, you might not need to invest as much money in your graphics card. If you’re mainly running productivity apps, browsing the web, managing email, and performing other low-resource tasks, then picking out the right RAM, CPU, and storage should be a higher priority .. snip .. The graphics capabilities embedded in your system’s CPU are probably sufficient, and you likely don’t require a separate GPU.

Integrated vs. discrete GPUs – Most modern CPUs have integrated graphics, which are essentially GPUs that are built into the CPU itself, or are otherwise closely interlinked with the CPU. These integrated graphics tend to be lower-performance options, providing enough power to drive the operating system and run web browsers, email clients, productivity apps, and other routine software, but not enough for anything more than casual (or older) games. This is quickly changing as CPUs become more powerful, but for now, if you want to play games, a separate (or discrete) GPU is likely the best solution.

That guide is loaded with valuable information, IMHO. Don’t mean to plug Newegg again, but they offer so much, and their guides are excellent! If you’re going to spend ‘Shortage’ type of prices on a new GPU, then you don’t want a lack of power causing it to burn up during its first game!  😉  Newegg’s Power Supply Calculator.

I bookmarked that link years ago! They keep it up-to-date so it includes the new CPU’s & GPU’s that can gobble up power.

Here are some more links I find helpful when looking for new components ‘n their performance:

Well, who knows when GPU prices return to the MSRP, or what other shortages are created from the GPU shortage. I have been reading articles that mention possible SSD shortages and even an article on actual chip-maker equipment shortages (that would affect almost all components!?). Here’s an interesting one on more mining techniques…

Chia, a cryptocurrency that benefits from high-speed storage, could trigger SSD shortages in the near future:

Chia is an eco-friendly cryptocurrency that operates on high-speed storage instead of power-hungry graphics cards. Early adaptors in China are already buying up high-capacity solid-state drives in bulk. If the coin is successful, it has the potential to cause mass SSD shortages.

Chia mining apparently uses “high-speed” storage devices instead of GPUs. Anyway, I’m ready to start a new rebuild/upgrade very soon!  😉

LINUX IS LIKE A BOX OF CHOCOLATES – you never know what you’re gonna get!

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