Still got that ROG Strix GeForce RTX or Radeon RX graphics card on your wishlist? You might be finally compelled to pull that trigger soon, as ASUS has confirmed that it has begun reducing the MSRP for its graphics cards “aggressively,” a welcome change that is being applied to all of its custom models. “Asus has been dropping pricing across all SKUs,” an ASUS representative told PC Gamer.
What, did someone use Force persuasion or kidnap an ASUS executive’s kid or something? Nope, it seems that the manufacturer’s bout of generosity merely stems from the traditional process of getting rid of the old to usher in the new, as NVIDIA and AMD’s next-generation GeForce RTX 40 and Radeon RX 7000 Series are just half a year away.
“A supplier out there will get nervous that they are sitting on considerable supply for an item that has a limited shelf life (with newer cards entering the market) and will make the move to clear out that excess inventory,” explained Dr. Thomas Goldsby, a supply chain expert. “Peer suppliers will then have to follow that lead. And back to equilibrium we fall.”
Asus says it’s ‘reducing MSRP aggressively’ for graphics cards ‘across all SKUs’ (PC Gamer)
This is what we’ve been waiting for, actual manufacturers meaningfully dropping prices on their graphics cards. We’ve noticed recently that GPU stock levels have been getting back to healthy levels across a swathe of different cards, but though prices have been dropping, they’re still too high.
But with Asus confirming to us that it “is reducing MSRP aggressively” it means that actual retail pricing can now follow suit, hopefully soon. And it’s not just in the cards nobody wants either, such as the Radeon RX 6500 XT—which has remained at, or even below MSRP for much of its life—we’re now seeing pricing coming down across a host of different GPUs.
It looks like Asus is looking to jump first as GPU pricing inevitably drops. With an increase in supply obviously out there, and demand still sky-high for graphics cards, manufacturers are going to have to start putting in the work if they wants users to buy their cards.