Gamers To Face Massive Price Increases on NVIDIA GPUs

NVIDIA is raising the prices of graphics processors for its manufacturing partners for the third time this year. This time, the price tag on bundles consisting of a GPU chip and VRAM will jump by 20–30%. Unlike the May price hike (which exclusively affected the flagship GeForce RTX 5090), this new wave will touch the entire lineup.

Consumers will have to pay significantly more for new graphics cards. 

The Root Cause: Ongoing GDDR Memory Shortage

The primary driver behind the price increases is an ongoing crisis in the RAM and VRAM markets. The cost of GDDR memory modules fluctuates monthly, making it impossible even for major brands to forecast pricing over the coming months.

According to the Taiwanese publication Economic Daily News, the current situation in the DRAM market could drag on until at least 2028. Industry experts believe prices will continue to climb in the near future. 

As for the present, prices continue to go up: for example, the Asus TUF Gaming GeForce RTX 5080, which sold last winter for $1,199, has already reached $1,595 on Amazon.

Crisis Spreads to Competitors and the Console Market

Gamers won't find refuge elsewhere, either. AMD and Intel have already adjusted their GPU price lists upward.

Moreover, rising memory costs have spilled over into adjacent sectors: popular gaming platforms, including the PlayStation 5, Steam Deck, and Nintendo Switch 2, have also become more expensive.