If you’re thinking of upgrading to a new graphics card this year, your window to do so at MSRP has closed. When I first reported on this in early December, things were looking bleak but you could still find GPUs from both AMD and NVIDIA close to their recommended prices. That changed last week when the YouTube channel The hardware is not in the box reports that ASUS has stopped production of the RTX 5070 Ti and 5060 Ti 16GB due to an ongoing memory shortage.
After Engadget published the news, NVIDIA denied the report. “Demand for GeForce RTX GPUs is strong, and memory supply is lagging. We continue to ship all GeForce SKUs and are working closely with our suppliers to increase memory availability,” a company spokesperson told us.
The next day, ASUS retracted its earlier statements. After saying “obviously” The hardware is not in the box placed the 5060 Ti 16GB and 5070 Ti in “end-of-life status,” the company said “some media may have received incomplete information from an ASUS PR representative about these products,” adding that it “has no plans to stop selling these models.”
Whether the 5060 Ti 16GB and 5070 Ti remain in production, one thing is certain: the AI boom has created great uncertainty in the GPU market. After this news, panic buying sent the price of the 5070 Ti through the roof. Right now, it’s impossible to find that model priced at its MSRP of $749. As of this writing, the cheapest version of the 5070 Ti I could find on Newegg was $1,199.
The big problem is that the 5070 Ti isn’t the only GPU selling more than MSRP. Tom’s Hardware has been tracking GPU prices for months, and there isn’t a single model you can buy at AMD or NVIDIA’s recommended price. That puts PC makers in a tough spot. What do you do if you want to upgrade to a new graphics card this year?
If you’re sitting on an old GPU, the best advice I can give is to stick with your current hardware. If you’re fine with the performance of your video card right now, it’s best to wait a year or two for the market to stabilize.
On the other hand, if your current GPU isn’t up to the task of running the games you want to play, try to buy a card with at least 12GB of VRAM – preferably 16GB if your budget allows. Unless you plan to play a lot of older games on a 1080p monitor, it’s not worth considering a model with 8GB of VRAM — it won’t last long enough to justify the purchase price.
For the most part, the recommendations in Engadget’s latest GPU guide are still as valid today as they were a few months ago. The recommendations I provide here are taken from that guide and are arranged from most affordable to most expensive. Where possible, I’ve tried to find options on both Newegg and Amazon. As you go looking for a new GPU, your best friend is a website like PCPartPicker where you can track down prices from multiple vendors.
Recommendations
AMD Radeon RX 9060 XT 16GB
The Radeon RX 9060 XT 16GB is the best high-end option right now. (Devindra Hardawar of Engadget)
Unfortunately if you’re on a tight budget, there aren’t many good options under $400. For that reason, I will guide you to the Radeon RX 9060 XT as the best “entry level” option. AMD offers two different versions of this GPU: one with 8GB of VRAM and one with 16GB. Of the two, the latter is the better buy, but if it’s out of your budget, the affordable model is probably the best 8GB GPU on the market right now.
While I couldn’t find the 16GB variant for the recommended price of $350, I did find a few models that weren’t far off. Newegg has options from ASRock and Sapphire priced at $400 and $450. On Amazon, meanwhile, you can find models from PowerColor for $400 and $430.
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070
The Founders Edition NVIDIA RTX 5080 sits on a wooden desk. (Devindra Hardawar of Engadget)
I’m reluctant to recommend the RTX 5070. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a decent enough card, but with only 12GB of VRAM, you might end up replacing it sooner than you think. That said, it’s one of the few NVIDIA GPUs that hasn’t really gone up in price, and I suspect that’s because people have been passing them up in favor of other 50-series models. If you value NVIDIA’s feature set above the frame, the 5070 is about the only GPU that makes sense to buy from the company right now.
On Newegg, I found a 5070 model from Gigabyte for $650. The retailer also has a few MSI variants priced at $630. Amazon has a few options, but it has one 5070 from Gigabyte for $585, which is very close to the card’s MSRP of $549.
AMD Radeon RX 9070
If you’re a fan of Team Red, the Radeon RX 9070 and 9070 XT are among the best cards of this generation. (Devindra Hardawar of Engadget)
For a card that offers better performance for the price than the 5070, the Radeon RX 9070 is your best bet. AMD’s take on NVIDIA features like DLSS aren’t as polished, but the RX 9070 offers more VRAM and better performance in all the latest AAA games.
You’re unlikely to find one at its MSRP of $550, which has always been a bargain, but I’ve found a few models priced between $590 and $640. Both Newegg and Amazon have the PowerColor model for $590. Both have the Gigabyte model priced at $600 after a $40 off coupon.
AMD Radeon RX 9070XT
For those with a lot to spend, the RX 9070 XT is probably where I’d put things. Otherwise, you’re looking at GPUs like the 5080 that are more expensive than MSRP. On Newegg, I found the ASRock model selling for $730. Amazon, meanwhile, has options from Gigabyte and ASUS for $720. Those aren’t great deals, but that’s to be expected with a card at the top of the stack.
