Despite the Nvidia RTX 4090 currently reigning as the quickest GPU among the finest graphics cards, its prices persist in climbing, securing the top spot on our GPU benchmark hierarchy. We recently covered the 10% surge from October just last week (details reiterated below), but prices are now nearing $2,000 for the most affordable cards. A sole Zotac RTX 4090 remains available at Newegg for $1,899, while the next cheapest is $1,999, and the subsequent least expensive option rises to $2,149. What’s truly unfolding here?
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!As previously mentioned, the RTX 4090 is now under the constraints of China export restrictions from November 17th. In brief, any Nvidia card utilizing the AD102 chip is now on the export roster. Prohibiting these GPUs from export to China implies that assemblage of 4090 graphics cards in China is also prohibited. Most graphics card companies execute card assembly in China for economical reasons, hence Asus, Gigabyte, MSI, PNY, etc. are all required to relocate production of 4090 cards to elsewhere – and China-focused brands have had to cease production wholly. It’s possible.
Additionally, the RTX 4090 inventory is depleting. Numerous 4090 cards are out of stock, and it is presumed this is due to heightened demand. It is more probable that Nvidia and its partners are no longer fabricating cards, or if they are, the cost of card assembly (see above) has risen considerably. Ceasing production on the 4090 also aligns with reason if there’s something else in the pipeline.
No official statement has been released by Nvidia, but longstanding rumors have suggested that the RTX 4090 Ti (or maybe the RTX 4090 Super?) might actually make an entrance into the market. Alleged “leaks” about the 4090 Ti (occasionally referred to as the new Titan RTX) have been circulating for most of the past year, inclusive of several images of an extensive quad-slot cooler. When Nvidia developed the RTX 4090, it left room for a higher-performance AD102 component, but perhaps it abandoned the 4-slot design and will utilize an existing 4090 model with the additional cores and cache enabled. Given the 4090’s problematic 16-pin connector situation, an RTX 4090 Ti with a 600W or higher TGP is courting trouble, so Nvidia may opt to stick with a 450W TGP.
It can also be confidently proclaimed that the Black Friday GPU sale is just around the corner. We usually do not observe many excellent deals on graphics cards, but prices frequently surge just before the sale commences. That GPU which was priced at $600 at the commencement of the year may suddenly escalate to $700 in about a month, only to “go on sale” again for $600. “Save 14%!” However, the aforementioned factors imply that, of all the GPUs, the 4090 is the least likely to witness a general price hike followed by a discount cycle this year.
We cannot definitively ascertain how each of the above elements plays into the RTX 4090 pricing equation, but we are aware that 4090 prices have been on an upward trend for the past couple of months. It’s plausible that we may encounter a new RTX 4090 Ti at the same $1,599 MSRP as the 4090 in the imminent future. Frankly, this would be the most favorable scenario. More likely, regrettably, such a card – if it exists and enters the market – will push the MSRP up a notch. Those $1,999 RTX 4090 cards may soon transform into the base model RTX 4090 Ti/Super. Whatever the scenario, we will continue to monitor prices as we wait to observe the outcomes.
Source: www.tomshardware.com
