Video cards are so expensive, you’re better off buying an entire desktop PC

By Luke Larsen February 2, 2018

Dell XPS 8930 Tower Review — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Let’s be real. It’s taken way too long for companies like AMD and Nvidia to address the issue of skyrocketing GPU prices.

Thanks to cryptocurrency miners nabbing up GTX 1080s like they’re gold, it hasn’t been easy for the everyday gamer to build or upgrade their PC. There’s been some attempt by retailers and manufacturers to get graphics cards to gamers, but it feels more like grandstanding than actually solving the problem.

The truth is that if you want to go out there and buy a new GPU, it’s going to cost you way more than it should. Over on eBay or Newegg, prices for something like a GTX 1060 with 6GB of GDDR5 range anywhere from $500 to $800. If you want something like a GTX 1080, you’re looking well over a thousand bucks.

Get your weekly teardown of the tech behind PC gaming

The best solution to the problem might be to just put a hold on your plans to build a PC. AMD has finally announced plans to ramp up production to address the problem, and Samsung is already planning on developing chips specifically for the purpose of cryptocurrency mining. Finger crossed — the issue might be solved by the end of 2018, but a lot of that depends on the rollercoaster ride of bitcoin values.

graphics card shortage — Image used with permission by copyright holder

However, there is another option. We recently reviewed the Dell XPS 8930, a modest desktop PC that looks nothing like a gaming tower. Beneath the surface, our review configuration came with a GeForce GTX 1060 with 6GB of GDDR5 that dominated our benchmarks and tests. It might not do 4K gaming at 60 frames per second, but most people will be pretty happy with the game performance here. The entire system costs $1,000, while the graphics card itself will cost you almost $800 on its own.

Want to do one better? Go over and check out the new Dell Inspiron 5675 Gaming Desktop, which comes the GTX 1060 with 3GB of GDDR5 and the same CPU, but starts at only $750. We haven’t benchmarked the Inspiron yet, but there’s no reason to think it wouldn’t be in the same ballpark.

Until Nvidia, AMD, and their various manufacturing partners figure out how to fix this problem, your best bet just might be to check out one of Dell’s new desktop PCs.

Topics

Senior Editor, Computing

Luke Larsen is the Senior editor of computing, managing all content covering laptops, monitors, PC hardware, Macs, and more.

Computing

Quest Pro 2: What we know about Meta’s next premium VR headset

From a side view, you can see how glasses can be worn along with a Quest Pro.

While Meta’s Quest Pro is one of the best VR headsets available, it never reached its full potential as a laptop replacement for spatial computing. Meta hasn’t given up on making a work-centric solution, and rumors suggest a Meta Quest Pro 2 is still in development. Here’s what we know so far about Meta's answer to Apple's Vision Pro.
Meta Quest Pro 2 release date speculation
It’s difficult to make a solid prediction on when Meta will launch the Quest Pro 2. Meta CTO Andrew “Boz” Bosworth made it clear in an Instagram AMA that Meta is continually prototyping new VR headsets to find out what’s possible with current technology. That gives Meta more flexibility than manufacturers that research for years before doing hardware testing.

If Meta is satisfied with the performance of the Snapdragon XR2+ Gen 2 and LG can deliver enough micro-OLED displays, the Quest Pro 2 could arrive as early as this October at Meta Connect 2024.

Computing

Does RAM speed matter for PC performance?

Installing RAM sticks in a motherboard.

RAM is one of the primary components in a PC, and it's important that you have at least a certain amount of RAM depending on what you want to do with your PC. However, there are more things to RAM than just capacity: Frequency and latency are important considerations, too.

The question of whether RAM speed matters is especially important now that we have two generations of RAM available, both DDR4 and DDR5 -- and they have vastly different speeds. The official maximum clock speed for DDR4 was 3200MHz, while DDR5 starts at 4800MHz, an increase of 50%; however, you'll easily find RAM kits reaching above 7000MHz. Although latency significantly went up, from CL14 on most 3200MHz DDR4 kits to CL40 on most 4800MHz DDR5 kits, DDR5 is still found to be faster.

Computing

The 6 best 2-in-1 laptops for drawing in 2024

Portal RTX running on the Surface Laptop Studio 2.

Whether you're a seasoned professional or enjoy drawing as a hobby, investing in a 2-in-1 laptop is a great idea for all sorts of artists. Drawing on a laptop makes it easy to quickly share your creation with others, which is especially useful if you're doing it as a professional–negating the need to upload your pen-and-paper sketch to the computer before sending it to a client. Moreover, working on a laptop lets you undo mistakes, zoom in to better handle small details, and quickly change utensils.

There are a lot of perks to drawing on a 2-in-1 laptop, but not all of them are great for creators. Some have unresponsive displays that can't register all your movements, while others might have a lackluster resolution or color spectrum that turns most images into a muddled mess. Because of that, it can be hard figuring out which laptop is best for your needs. And if you'll be spending a good chunk of change on the laptop, you'll want to make sure you get it right.