We all saw it coming, but it still doesn't feel great. It seems that the RAM shortage that has us all mourning the not-so-terrible prices of a few months ago might now also open the door to a GPU shortage, and small GPU vendors will be hit the hardest.
Reputable leaker Golden Pig Upgrade Pack on Weibo (via VideoCardz) claims Nvidia is planning to stop bundling VRAM with its GPU dies.
Nvidia always supplied both the GPU and the VRAM to its add-in card (AIC) partners... well, potentially up until now. This made it easier for GPU manufacturers to stay on spec, but also removed the need for them to source DRAM directly from memory giants like Micron or Samsung. So, Nvidia took care of the VRAM and the GPU die, and the AIC did whatever they wanted with the rest of it, customizing the graphics card before selling it.
If Nvidia has indeed decided to only ship the GPU going forward, its board partners will now need to secure VRAM all on their own. Given how volatile normal memory pricing is right now, that could be a challenge for some brands.
The short supply of memory doesn't just affect the RAM kits we stick in our PCs. It will extends to VRAM, too, with production being pointed towards data center stuff, subsequently ramping up prices and reducing availability.
The leaker says that this change will affect smaller AICs that don't have prior connections with memory makers, effectively forcing them out of the GPU market. It's easy to imagine that giants like MSI or Gigabyte will be able to manage sourcing their own VRAM, but what about brands like Inno3D or Gainward that maybe don't have the same production volume?
For us, the unfortunate customers at the end of that supply chain, the news could mean two things in the long run: higher prices or lower availability. Pick your poison, I suppose.
Another leaker responded to the initial post, claiming they received news that GPU prices would go up as a result of rising memory pricing. We've heard the same from retailers in the past few weeks, claiming that once the current stock runs dry they're going to have to increase prices as the cost they buy them at is going up. This is true regardless of whether Nvidia continues bundling the GPU with VRAM or not, but it might well make the situation even worse.
If GPU vendors have to fend for themselves and negotiate their own deals with memory makers, the added cost might make its way back to the consumers eventually.
So, is it time to panic-buy a new GPU?
There's no need to raid the stores in search of GPUs before prices rise (although there are some Black Friday graphcs card deals, color me surprised). This is still just a rumour, and even if it turns out to be true, Nvidia and its partners won't suddenly raise the prices across all GPUs at every retailer right away.
What this does mean, though, is that in the long run, the prices may go back up again, and just as they were starting to become a bit less horrible. We can never catch a break, can we?
