Custom AMD Radeon RX 6800 Series graphics cards aren’t only suffering from a horrendous lack of stock right now, but also inflated prices, with some models costing as much as $900. The situation may be set in improve in one to two months, however.
In their latest video, Hardware Unboxed’s Steve Walton and Tim Schiesser revealed that they had spoken to AMD, who assured them that the prices for custom Radeon RX 6800 Series models would go down to MSRP in four to eight weeks. (The Radeon RX 6800 and Radeon RX 6800 XT are supposed to sell for $579 and $649, respectively.)
“We’ve had a private conversation with AMD. They assured us that in four to eight weeks there will be AIB cards available at MSRP. They said they’ve enabled the AIBs to achieve the $650 MSRP, and they expect that to happen within eight weeks.”
Hardware Unboxed goes on to explain that the inflated prices are a big problem for reviewers who traditionally provide performance-to-dollar charts. Obviously, the above-MSRP costs, which are also subject to fluctuation, make providing an accurate analysis nearly impossible.
“[…] we want to say, this is a good value product because it’s available at $650; things like cost per frame,” Schiesser explained. “When a company says this is a $650 product, but then it turns out most people buying one are having to spend $750 or $800, it makes a lot of the stuff that we talk about in the review not accurate.”
“It’s been a bait and switch,” added Walton. “There’s no other way to put it.”
According to a comparison drafted by VideoCardz, pricing of Custom Radeon RX 6800 Series graphics cards are anywhere from $81 to $251 above MSRP. ASUS’s RX 6800 XT ROG STRIX LC is the most expensive at $899.99.
