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Why you can’t buy a high-end graphics card at Best Buy

arstechnica.com

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Re: Why you can’t buy a high-end graphics card at Best Buy

#101

Post by jakubtomanik »

smcl wrote: post #91
sundvor wrote: post #89

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm running my GPU in mid 50s Celcius, with plenty of case cooling. (Lowered the power target etc.)

I think goda90 was referring to the second hand market.You may have taken good care of yours, but I suspect that miners won't have been as careful so buying these could be a bit of a crapshoot

When it comes to GPU mining (especially ETH) it is very common to undervolt / power limit a GPU as it reduces power usage greatly so the temperatures are lower than usually. Power consumption together with the price of kWh is an important factor that affects mining profitability

Re: Why you can’t buy a high-end graphics card at Best Buy

#102

Post by reificator »

lithos wrote: post #99
PhasmaFelis wrote: post #92

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why do people still think you need a high-end rig updated every year or two just to be a PC gamer? Almost every game I want to play runs satisfactorily on a five-year-old machine. This is bad for the tech-obsessed top 10% of PC gamers. For the rest of us it's meaningless, and it's not going to last in any case.

Games I shove the most time at aren't even that intensive. Klei, and Zachtronic games.

If those games are your thing, you'd probably love Factorio.

Re: Why you can’t buy a high-end graphics card at Best Buy

#103

Post by chillydawg »

aianus wrote: post #43
jakebasile wrote: post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Gamers are complaining about why can't nVidia just ramp up their production. I don't see too much of that in gaming circles. It's understood that it would be risky as crypto will crash sooner than later. The anger in the PC community is almost exclusively directed at miners. Threads about it pop up on the daily, but what can we do? We could lobby NVIDIA/AMD to somehow implement restrictions on what the Gaming SKUs…

I wonder if Nvidia et al could short Ethereum as a hedge while expanding production.

The markets are not liquid enough for a hedge of that scale (eg to cover a factory investment of 8, 9 or 10 figures USD).

Re: Why you can’t buy a high-end graphics card at Best Buy

#104

Post by josu »

fermienrico wrote: post #33
segmondy wrote: post #31

I wanted to buy 2 1080 for deep learning experiments, but that's going to have to wait. I picked up a used 32core 128gb server for $1000 recently... It's only a matter of time before these 1080 will be sold for pennies on the dollar. If your lively hood doesn't depend on it, wait.

I understand most people are wishful to see Cryptocurrencies crash but what if it doesn't? What would happen if Crytpo booms big time?

New cards will come out, which will make the current cards obsolete.

Re: Why you can’t buy a high-end graphics card at Best Buy

#105

Post by richardknop »

fermienrico wrote: post #37
nn3 wrote: post #10

It's great. Once ethereum etc. crash we can buy used high end graphic cards cheap.

What is the basis for an overwhelming assumption on HN that Cryto will crash? I am genuinely curious. What specifics indicate that it will crash?

Most people here are engineers and can see through the buzz words all these crypto tokens are throwing around to lure in naive investors. So it's assumed that it is a bubble as majority of tokens are worthless from technical perspective.

Re: Why you can’t buy a high-end graphics card at Best Buy

#106

Post by topspin »

fermienrico wrote: post #33
segmondy wrote: post #31

I wanted to buy 2 1080 for deep learning experiments, but that's going to have to wait. I picked up a used 32core 128gb server for $1000 recently... It's only a matter of time before these 1080 will be sold for pennies on the dollar. If your lively hood doesn't depend on it, wait.

I understand most people are wishful to see Cryptocurrencies crash but what if it doesn't? What would happen if Crytpo booms big time?

First, segmondy didn't attribute future low GPU prices to a cryptocurrency crash. Second, it isn't necessary for a crash to happen to collapse demand for GPUs.

Bitcoin isn't driving GPU demand; Bitcoin is mined with ASICs. Ethereum is mined with GPUs, a consequence of deliberate design. However, when `Casper' lands (Ethereum's Proof of Stake scheme) mining will end, and so will the extreme demand for GPUs. If that happens Ebay will fill up with thousands of discrete GPUs and you'll buy them with a song.

Re: Why you can’t buy a high-end graphics card at Best Buy

#107

Post by rwmj »

lithos wrote: post #99
PhasmaFelis wrote: post #92

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why do people still think you need a high-end rig updated every year or two just to be a PC gamer? Almost every game I want to play runs satisfactorily on a five-year-old machine. This is bad for the tech-obsessed top 10% of PC gamers. For the rest of us it's meaningless, and it's not going to last in any case.

Games I shove the most time at aren't even that intensive. Klei, and Zachtronic games.

We've had the most fun recently with one of those "Pandora's Box" pirate 1980s arcade simulators. I believe internally it runs on a 32 bit ARM chip.

Re: Why you can’t buy a high-end graphics card at Best Buy

#109

Post by arvinsim »

icelancer wrote: post #86
pcr0 wrote: post #83

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I have the 1060 6GB. It can max out any game on my 1080p 60hz 24" monitor. However, that's table stakes these days. 1440p monitors are gaining ground as people realize the DPI difference between their PC monitor and their smartphone. Moreover, most people can also notice the difference between 60hz and 100hz monitors.

So now we're talking about bleeding-edge technology in the 1440p / 100hz realm. I don't feel really bad that gamers can't readily get access to the technologies that drive the 0.0001% of gamers to these settings, no more than I feel bad for cryptocurrency miners who spend $1200 on a 1080ti and configure it like an idiot and get half the earning potential they should.

1440p is hardly bleeding edge in the productivity end.

If you already have that kind of monitor, why not reuse it for gaming?

Re: Why you can’t buy a high-end graphics card at Best Buy

#110

Post by jdietrich »

jakebasile wrote: post #15

I'm legitimately worried about the long term future of my hobby (PC gaming) at this point. Prices like this have a cascade effect because when less people can afford to build a PC and/or upgrade there's less incentive for developers and publishers to spend time on the platform. Consoles are shielded by the ability of Sony and Microsoft to take losses which will be absorbed by online fees and higher game prices but no…

Most PC gamers aren't using high-end machines and don't upgrade very often. The Steam Hardware Survey shows that the majority (74%) of PC gamers have a 1080p monitor and a plurality (37%) have a video card with 2GB of VRAM and 8GB of system RAM (47%). The GTX 1060 only recently overtook the GTX 750 Ti as the single most popular video card.

Pricing of high-end hardware is largely irrelevant to the success of PC gaming as a platform. The majority of users have always opted for value-oriented hardware.

http://store.steampowered.com/hwsurvey/

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