Several of Asus' best graphics cards are now cheaper across the board in countries such as the UK and Australia, with price cuts of between 10 and 25% on various models. While still above MSRP, this decent reduction sees cheaper graphics cards than what we've observed throughout the vast majority of the past 18 months.
We've been seeing a gradual decline in graphics cards prices throughout 2022, though Asus is among the first to feature aggressive price cuts in this fashion. The graphics card shortage could be wrapping up this year ahead of the projected RTX 40 series launch date.
From what we're able to observe through UK retailers such as Ebuyer we are indeed seeing those projected discount numbers falling by 10-25% depending on the GPU. These discounts are perhaps most noticeable on the entry-level models, with RTX 3050 prices and RTX 3060 prices at some of the lowest rates we've seen in some time.
How much cheaper have Asus RTX 30 series GPUs become?
When we turn our attention to the UK market, we're seeing far more aggressive pricing on a vast majority of Asus RTX 30 series graphics cards compared to what was witnessed throughout most of the prior year. For example, you can currently pick up the Asus GeForce RTX 3050 Dual OC for £339.99 (was £370) and the Asus GeForce RTX 3060 Dual OC V2 for £449.99 (was £530) at Ebuyer.
While still above the MSRP, albeit not by much in the former's case, these are far cheaper prices on entry-level Ampere GPUs than what we saw spiking in the summer. Back then it was far more common to see RTX 3060 graphics cards retailing for well above the £600+ mark and above.
It's a similar story with some of the mid-range graphics cards made by Asus as well, as various RTX 3070 Ti prices have come down substantially, too. The Asus GeForce RTX 3070 Ti TUF is selling for £754.98 (was £920) and the Asus GeForce RTX 3070 Ti OC TUF is retailing for £759.99 (previously £1,000).
In the past, we've seen RTX 3070 Ti GPUs selling for rates of between £800 - £999 depending on make and model, so these discounts are taking the prices down considerably. There are also considerations to make regarding the brand's higher-end line, such as Strix, which are some of the most premium partner cards you can buy.
Why are graphics card prices beginning to decline?
There are a couple of main contributing factors as to why we're seeing graphics card prices continuing to fall. Firstly, some cryptocurrencies are drastically dropping in value, with prospective miners switching gears to dedicated mining machines instead of graphics cards to take the stress.
Then there's the age of the RTX 30 series to think about as well. The line debuted in September 2020, and has endured a turbulent 18 months since hitting the market. We could be as little as six months away from Lovelace (RTX 40 series), so it stands to reason that consumers could just be biding their time and hoping for more success with the next line.
You'll find more from Asus in our guides for the best gaming PCs, best gaming laptops, and best gaming monitors.
