GPUs are going in the wrong direction

Both Nvidia and AMD will bring a new generation of flagship graphics cards this year, of which the former’s GeForce RTX 4080/4090 graphics cards based on the Ada Lovelace architecture are already on the market, and the latter Radeon RX 7900 series graphics cards based on the RDNA 3 architecture will have to wait until December 13. In addition to stronger performance, these flagship graphics cards are larger, consume more power, and are more expensive.

Recently, The Verge published a commentary article, saying that the GPUs of the two companies are expanding in a way that has never been seen before, which is more serious than inflation itself. The huge size and high price have never been seen in the past ten years. It believes this phenomenon is abnormal, saying that “GPUs are headed in the wrong direction.”

Since the release of sub-flagship graphics cards by Nvidia and AMD in 2020, the inflation rate has been between 15% and 16% due to the recession. However, the starting price of the RTX 4080 is 71.5% more expensive than RTX 3080, while RX 7900 XT is 38.5% more expensive than RX 6800 XT. In theory, RTX 4080 is 50% faster than RTX 3080, while the price increase is even greater. In the past iterations had such a performance improvement, the price may be similar, and now it is too exaggerated even considering the inflation factor.

Avid enthusiasts may be willing to pay a premium for top-of-the-line graphics cards, but the RTX 4080 and RX 7900 XT aren’t the top models in their respective product lines. In addition to the price, the volume of the new graphics card is also expanding, which is 30% to 60% larger than before, and even three-slot thickness graphics cards have become the norm. It also sets a bad precedent if the high pricing is meant to drain the inventory of previous-generation GPUs.

The supply shortages that have occurred over the past two years have shown that there are gamers who are willing to pay any price for the latest and greatest graphics cards, and there are those who are willing to pay for more bulky graphics cards. However, if this kind of expansion permeates the entire graphics card product line, it will definitely annoy many players. For example, the affordable small-form-factor PCs that many players have pursued in the past ten years may become unfeasible in two years.