The GPU market is an absolute mess right now, and I don’t blame console players for staying away | usagoldmines.com

If you’ve read my previous articles, you should know that PC is my preferred option for gaming. Whether it’s with handheld gaming PCs or a full-fledged desktop setup, I believe it offers the best gaming experiences possible with better performance and advanced graphics options.

There’s also a much greater level of freedom PC players have over console players: lower game prices thanks to digital marketplaces, free multiplayer online access (which shouldn’t even be a debate), and modding capabilities all play an integral part. I can’t deny that PC gaming isn’t cheap, but there also isn’t much of an argument when looking at the likes of the PS5 Pro and its $699.99 / £699.99 / AU$1,199 price – as I’ve said before, you may as well start saving for a PC build at that price point.

However, my stance on that has changed at least for the time being – not because I think consoles are more powerful than most PCs, no – but because the current landscape of the GPU market is an absolute mess. Nvidia and AMD both launched new GPUs: the Blackwell RTX 5000 series and Radeon RX 9000 series respectively, and getting your hands on any of these graphics cards at MSRP (or even at all) is one heck of a mission.

From scalpers to retailers, you’ll more than likely find yourself overpaying for a new mid-range or high-end GPU. Now it’s worth mentioning that Intel is also in the mix with its Battlemage Arc B570 and B580 GPUs, but it’s got some catching up to do against Team Green and Team Red in terms of performance capabilities and its XeSS upscaling method.

Ultimately, it means that if there was any opportunity for a large amount of console-only gamers (or even new gamers entirely) to join the PC platform, that chance is nearly dead in the water – and I don’t see it getting better anytime soon.

GPUs are far too expensive and it’s completely unreasonable

It’s important I note that I absolutely don’t expect powerful graphics cards to be cheap, especially considering the advancement of tech and power capabilities we’ve seen over the years from Nvidia and AMD. Game developers are now able to provide exceptional and immersive gaming experiences with hyper-realistic visuals, thanks to the power provided by GPUs like the RTX 5090.

This is even possible with midrange cards at high resolutions, with the help of upscaling tools like DLSS and FSR. What I do expect, however, is for hardware to be affordable, especially with less powerful products – and unfortunately, that’s the complete opposite of what we’re seeing.

Examples of this are evident with the RTX 5090 and RTX 5080: both of these Blackwell GPUs are high-end offerings, priced at $1,999 / £1,939 / AU$4,039 and $999 / £999 / AU$2,019 respectively, and will give gamers the best performance possible this generation. Those prices are arguably too high, particularly when the leap from the previous flagship GPU, the RTX 4090, is significant but perhaps not enough to pay another $400 above its $1,599 MSRP.

When you add scalpers, low stock, and hardware issues into the equation, it makes matters worse – and we’ve seen this occur since board partners are selling the GPUs at inflated prices. It means either you won’t find a GPU to buy at all, or if you do, you’ll more than likely be overpaying.

You might be thinking it’s best to just buy a midrange GPU, but the exact same thing is happening there too. AMD’s Radeon RX 9070 series GPU prices have seen a sudden hike – so instead of paying $599 / £569 / around AU$944 for the RX 9070 XT, you’ll be paying much more.

It’s also worth noting that PC games are released with bad optimization – so even if you do manage to find a powerhouse GPU without overpaying, you’ll have to deal with bad performance and game-breaking bugs.

If I was a console-only player, I would stay away too…

As a gamer who is on both PC and console, I can totally understand why most console players are hesitant when advised to build gaming PCs. Yes, I still think PC is the better platform and there’s plenty of freedom to be had with your gaming experience – but if you can’t even acquire the right hardware at affordable prices, what choice do you have but to stick with a console?

Again, you may end up building your desired gaming PC and then still be met with frustrating performance problems. While performance may not be as good on console, it’s a manageable experience with stable frame rates that come without the need to tinker or mess around with settings.

I believe it’s a big part of why handheld gaming options like the Steam Deck are so popular: gamers can simply select a game they want to play (with the help of Deck Verified) and dive in. It’s not like that isn’t the case on Windows PCs, but it’s annoying dealing with regular performance drops due to bad optimization, along with Windows 11 and its game incompatibility problems.

Gamers just want to be able to purchase the right hardware and get their money’s worth while gaming – and if PCs can’t provide that right now because of GPU price inflation, then I can’t blame anyone for sticking with a PS5 or Xbox Series X|S.

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