PC component prices are now higher than ever. Gamers are faced with a difficult choice: is it worth spending a lot of money on a powerful computer and overpaying for average performance options, or even postponing the purchase until later? Cybersport.ru strongly recommends to be patient, because now is really not the best time to upgrade your PC. In this article, we’ll explain why.
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Component prices
The announcements of new devices from NVIDIA and AMD made gamers very happy: in comparison with the previous generation, the performance increased significantly, while the announced prices were much lower. However, in practice, it turned out to be impossible to purchase components at the recommended cost. When the devices became available to retailers, the joy of gamers faded away.
Let’s try to assemble the most optimal PC in terms of price and performance at the moment so that it does not lose its relevance in 1-2 years and is suitable not only for online games like CS: GO, Dota 2 and so on, but also for more demanding titles that recently released or just preparing for release. Since many users often prefer not objective factors, but their favorite brand, we will offer two options for about the same price – based on Intel and AMD processors.
CPU:
AMD Ryzen 5 3600 BOX – ₽20 thous.
Intel Core i5-10400F BOX – ₽14 thous.
Motherboard:
ATX with AMD B450 chipset – ₽7 thous.
ATX with Intel B460 chipset – ₽11 thous.
RAM:
2×8 GB DDR4-2666 for Intel – ₽5 thous.
2×8 GB DDR4-3600 for AMD – ₽7 thous.
Memory:
SSD 480 GB – ₽5 thous.
Power Supply:
ATX 650 W – ₽7 thous.
Housing:
ATX Midi-Tower – ₽1.5 thous.
Video card:
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 (optimal) – ₽50 thous.
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 (minimum) – ₽30 thous.
Total PCs based on AMD and Intel processors reached ₽75.5 thousand in the minimum configuration and ₽95.5 thousand in optimal. By minimum, we mean that pretty soon the video card will no longer be able to handle modern games and for a comfortable frame rate and better graphics settings it will have to be changed. Of course, you can save a few thousand more rubles on memory or power supply, look for discount offers in various stores, and so on. Or sacrifice performance and relevance. But, as you know, the miser pays twice, and such savings in the future will turn into even higher costs.
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Prices for Ampere video cards on the NVIDIA website – in reality they cannot be bought for that kind of money
In contrast to the gaming computer, there are consoles. And when we build a gaming PC, we mean that it will be able to display better graphics and still get a higher frame rate. However, at the beginning of 2023, no matter how hard we tried, for ₽38 thousand (the price of PlayStation 5 All-Digital) or even more for ₽27 thousand (price of Xbox Series S) this problem cannot be solved. The minimum configuration given above, if it surpasses the consoles, is insignificantly, and in some points like support for ray tracing and the ability to provide a comfortable frame rate at resolutions above 1080p, it is even inferior to the same PlayStation 5.
What if the consoles aren’t happy with it?
The answer to this question is simple – wait. Component prices are now overpriced due to two factors. The first is their shortage, especially video cards. If the cost of new processors is not yet that much different from those recommended by the manufacturer, then for video cards you will have to pay twice, and sometimes even three times more than it was announced.
The second is the sharp rise in the value of cryptocurrencies, which has been observed since the end of 2023. The bitcoin rate jumped five times, followed by other cryptocurrencies. Mining on video cards has again become not only relevant, but very profitable. If for gamers buying a video card is a waste of money on emotions and pleasure, for miners it is an investment that will very soon be recouped. And so they are willing to pay for the RTX 3080 at ₽180 thousand, further inflating the already overpriced GPU. Recall that the recommended price for this model is $ 700 (₽63 thousand in Russia). So the current price tags, even taking into account VAT, taxes and any markups, are simply inadequate.
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Bitcoin price chart | Source: TradingView
But, as history shows, this will not last forever. Bitcoin will sooner or later fall in price again, and then the demand for video cards will fall many times, and prices will fall after it. The manufacturers promise to eliminate the deficit closer to the summer – autumn 2023, which will also have a positive effect on the cost of the GPU. As for bitcoin, no one will say for sure when its rate will drop to values that will make it unprofitable for mass mining on video cards. But it has never been stable, and the past cryptocurrency rush at the beginning of 2018 lasted for about 3-4 months.
There is another argument for waiting for better times for PC gamers. The introduction of a new standard for RAM – DDR5 – will take place very soon. Compared to the current DDR4, it has clear advantages, ranging from higher frequency to better bandwidth. Moreover, for both indicators, the increase can be twofold. SK Hynix has already presented the first DDR5 modules, but they cannot be bought yet, and there is still nowhere to install. But it is expected that the first motherboards, and with them processors from Intel and AMD, with support for the new standard will be released by the end of 2023 or by the beginning of 2023. If cryptocurrencies eventually lose ground, as in 2018, and GPU manufacturers keep their promises to eliminate the deficit, then just by the time DDR5 appears, the prices for video cards will return to nominal values.
