Most of Nvidia’s best graphics cards are currently readily available for sale, but that’s not a good thing. Nobody is buying Nvidia’s ill-fated RTX 4080, and a price cut might be on the way.
Will this situation give an advantage to AMD, which is currently experiencing an increase in GPU sales?
We all thought the days of awful GPU shortages were already over, and for the most part, that’s been true. GPUs are in stock most of the time — the only real exception is the RTX 4090, which still continues to sell out whenever it appears more affordable. However, the more expensive models are still up for grabs at many retailers.
While we’re not in the midst of a shortage anymore, we may feel as if we’re due to inflated GPU prices that, as the Nvidia CEO himself said, are unlikely to ever drop again. A recent report from MyDrivers sheds some light on those two things – GPU pricing and inventory levels.
According to the publication, Nvidia’s RTX 40 series graphics cards will become hard to come by in the early part of 2023. This includes the RTX 4090, RTX 4080, and RTX 4070 Ti. The reason may be limited shipments or delays due to the Lunar New Year.
Now, it’s hard to predict what impact this will have on the consumer market. One thing is pretty clear, though — if Nvidia were to cap off shipments of the RTX 4080, most people wouldn’t miss it. At current prices, it wasn’t a favorite, and recent sales numbers prove that many shoppers are turning to the RTX 4070 Ti instead – despite its poor value.
We don’t have sales figures for each store, but we do have German Mindfactory sales numbers, which TechEpiphany shared on Twitter. RTX 4080 sales aren’t going to go so well, but AMD’s sales have really skyrocketed in the past three weeks. When we last reported this, the RTX 4070 Ti was dominant, and it still does – but the margin is now smaller. In the sixth week of 2023, the RTX 4070 Ti sold 340 units versus 545 in the third week, while the RTX 4080 still lags behind with only 215 units sold.
Meanwhile, AMD is seeing a slight increase in sales as a whole. While the RX 7900 XT and RX 7900 XTX sold fewer units, AMD’s overall share rose to 43.62%. The last generation RX 6700 XT is still a favorite alongside the RTX 3060, which shows that current generation offerings are still a bit too high for many people’s tastes.
Rumors from MyDrivers show that Nvidia may want to boost poor sales of the RTX 4080 by lowering its price soon. It could be a critical step. AMD recently admitted that it “undercharged” its GPUs, which indicates that the demand for graphics cards is much lower than it used to be. With an ample inventory of the RTX 4080, Nvidia may have to lower the price to stay competitive.
Where does that leave us? With both Nvidia and AMD keeping a tight grip on inventory levels, GPU prices aren’t likely to drop much anytime soon. If you’ve been hoping to buy a card but are waiting to sell out, rumors of a shortage could derail those plans in the next few months. The GPUs are likely to be in stock, but it doesn’t seem like any of the GPU giants are planning any major price adjustments – unless the RTX 4080 price cut rumor really pans out.
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