If you want a powerful GPU for your computer, you may need to make a shopping decision like never before No, I am not talking about buying a GPU from a reseller for a hefty price I am talking about buying a pre-built gaming PC

The inconvenient truth about the GPU shortage is that demand has continuously exceeded supply during the COVID-19 pandemic Even now that the pandemic has abated, demand for GPUs is still very high from gamers as well as cryptocurrency miners; a month ago, Nvidia warned that the RTX 3080 shortage was not just a problem today, but would plague us well into 2022

I am new to this conversation I have gone from not needing a gaming PC to loving the powerful loaner PCs out there in the last 5 months However, I have been paying close enough attention to the critical chip shortage to know the odds of finding a standalone GPU

If you look for an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070 GPU online now, you will see prices around $1,300 to $1,600 That's a price increase of 100% to 200% over the graphics card's original MSRP of $499 Of course, Google is not exactly helpful and throws mirages where they shouldn't be For example, the search engine lists Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 GPUs in shopping results for 3070

Alternatively, you can try the lottery For example, you can sign up for the Newegg Shuffle for a chance to purchase one of these rare GPUs The price in this scenario is much more affordable, but still costs at least $649 It is painfully obvious that everyone is now testing the limits of their spending

Hilariously (and unfortunately), Newegg Shuffle got weird on May 25 The service tried to sell readers kettles, Uber Eats gift cards, and fruit hydrators And Newegg had an Asus ROG Strix RTX 3070, which cost $859 I dont want to win a contest where my reward is to pay a slightly unfair markup

I have already spent far too much time trying to get my hands on a PS5 Likewise, my colleague Marshall Honorof says it is best to accept the current chip shortage and its impact on consoles and GPUs But with all due respect to Marshall, what if we don't want to accept it?

Then we must accept that it is time to buy a pre-built machine Why, the GPU shortage is not such a critical issue for Dell and other OEMs

One of the cheapest desktops from a major manufacturer with a 30-series GPU is the Dell XPS 8940 Special Edition, priced at $1,749 Shipping, however, will take nearly a month

I want the 3070 instead That would be $1,949, and Dell estimates the system will ship in about two weeks

If you are desperate for the power of a new GPU, this may be your best bet This is especially true if the overall price of a pre-built machine barely exceeds the price of a single used GPU

Indeed, if your existing system still works, buying an entire new tower may seem a bit wasteful Furthermore, if you are used to building your own gaming PC (or know someone who is), you may view these off-the-shelf systems with the same skepticism with which you view GPU price hikes

Yes, PCs can be made more cheaply - or at least they could if demand didn't hit supply so hard that Godzilla blew Kong away in a recent movie At least, if demand doesn't beat supply harder than Godzilla beat Kong in a recent movie

But honestly, the reason I am comparing these prices is because I know that sooner or later we will need a new gaming rig We are in a tight spot right now

Personally, I value the time I can save by buying a ready-made PC instead of prowling the Internet waiting to win Likewise, there is always a risk involved in building your own gaming PC You will learn quite a bit the first time you make a mistake, but you may create an expensive, time-consuming technical support sinkhole