Here’s What’s Driving Up Prices For High-Capacity PSUs

[Guest]

You may have noticed that graphics cards aren't the only PC components with price and availability issues lately. PSUs with 850W or higher capacities have become scarce, and that's at least partly because of cryptocurrency mining.

Here’s What’s Driving Up Prices For High-Capacity PSUs : Read more

 

[Dark Lord of Tech]

Crypto has ruined the whole custom PC market.

 

[King_V]

Crypto has ruined the whole custom PC market.

I find it hard to argue against that.

 

[Barty1884]

The added costs of faster air (vs traditional boat) shipping is often overlooked, but even that (and the need to be in stock, fast) is a direct result of the mining craze. Crazy.

 

[cryoburner]

On the positive side, this only really affects miners, and those who are already willing to spend a large amount of money on a system with multiple high-end graphics cards. No single-card system should require a PSU with that kind of capacity.

More importantly, someone needs to make PSUs with fiber-optic lighting a trend.: P

 

[ko888]

My local PC components vendor has even put up a warning on their home page a few days ago that warns shoppers about the Graphics card and PSU shortage that they're experiencing.

 

[Dark Lord of Tech]

My local PC components vendor has even put up a warning on their home page a few days ago that warns shoppers about the Graphics card and PSU shortage that they're experiencing.

Good choice , due to the highly elevated prices and lack of stock.

 

[berezini.2013]

The whole mining business will end eventually, why? because when you purchase expensive hardware as an investment into the future, you dont know how long that particular future will be. What i mean is, a lot of people when they started out didnt realize that hardware they purchase and the invenstment they put in will need to be reinvested over and over due to hardware working 24/7 at full loads. which means if the hardware doesnt pay for itself and another set of hardware to replace it within the time before failure, you are in the minus profit

 

[jpe1701]

I would be surprised if these companies aren't working on ways to mitigate these price hikes even if some of them are making more money in the short term. We average builders and gamers and enthusiasts are their bread and butter. They would be foolish to alienate us.

 

[InvalidError]

if the hardware doesnt pay for itself and another set of hardware to replace it within the time before failure, you are in the minus profit

Miners are continuing to buy out GPU stock because they are turning a profit or at least have probable cause to believe they will manage to do so since so many others have managed to in the past or they've already done so with previous hardware. I've run my HD5770 at full load 24/7 for three years and it still works perfectly fine today, only retired it because 1GB of VRAM is hopeless in newer games with Windows eating 400-600MB of it just to render my desktop and open windows.

With clean power and adequate cooling, properly designed components can have greatly extended lifespan.

 

[Pat Flynn]

The market in particular that the mining is affecting is the PC VR market. The hardware needed to run VR will (GTX 1080Ti, high end single GPU systems) is way too expensive right now. I'm waiting for my Pimax 8K's to arrive, but I still need to purchase another video card for my wife's computer. I'm hoping another generation of GPU comes out that hampers mining (like the generation of Nvidia cards that came out with significant cut in mining capabilities- the 700's I think?)

 

[Lutfij]

SR-71,
The repercussions are multiple fold Even I'm disheartened seeing how my friends are now looking to prebuilts due to all the pricing madness.

 

[Dark Lord of Tech]

SR-71,
The repercussions are multiple fold Even I'm disheartened seeing how my friends are now looking to prebuilts due to all the pricing madness.

It's a sad trend that will continue until prices and supplies meet in the middle.

 

[Mr5oh]

Crypto has ruined the whole custom PC market.

You know I've wondered what kind of fallout other companies are seeing (if any). I get that some of the companies are selling hardware like gang-busters in thanks to miners, but what about the ones that don't sell hardware that does miners good? I've just been sitting tight. Right now I'd have already built my son an entire new PC if I could buy the stuff, but I'm not going to pay exorbitant prices are wait till I can order this or that. I'm also not going to order some package that has stuff I don't want. Until I can just order the exact stuff I want again, I'm not ordering any hardware.

There's no way I'd be buying any used hardware at this point either. Maybe I'm being too picky, for one I don't want any mining hardware, and two, I don't want to help support any of these miners that help screw this stuff up.

 

[Dark Lord of Tech]

I built a setup for my youngest son , just before these prices went got out of control. Won't be building for awhile.

 

[jaber2]

I just built a new PC i7-8700K, got free motherboard with the 1080ti, a titanium 850w psu, inexpensive as I could get it NVMe and DDR4, also got a new 28" monitor, all an all it was ~ $2K, I also build rigs and have no problem getting the parts from Amazon or NewEgg, so I don't see any issues.

 

[michael.tuffli]

Freaking cryptomongs.

 

[Barty1884]

I just built a new PC i7-8700K, got free motherboard with the 1080ti, a titanium 850w psu, inexpensive as I could get it NVMe and DDR4, also got a new 28" monitor, all an all it was ~ $2K, I also build rigs and have no problem getting the parts from Amazon or NewEgg, so I don't see any issues.

Care to elaborate? Even at (or below) MSRP for the majority of those components, assuming you went with good quality PSU, MB, Cooling & Monitor..... you'd be over $2k.

 

[Eric_666B]

FOB is Freight on Board and not "Free ..."

 

[Llorelie]

Crypto has ruined the whole custom PC market.

Hopefully some time in the next few years the extra business will drive some innovations that will do us some good. Just a hope.

 

[InvalidError]

Hopefully some time in the next few years the extra business will drive some innovations that will do us some good. Just a hope.

For now, crypto is beginning to cause energy crysis in some countries due to power companies having trouble coping with the increased demand. In Iceland, crypto-mining uses more power than all domestic use combined and the government is wary of building up power generation to accommodate use that provides very little benefit to its economy, little to no benefit to its society and would leave it stranded with that much under-used production capacity when the crypto-mining bubble bursts.

Crypto-mining simply isn't environmentally sustainable. Global warming was already bad enough. Wasting tons of energy on it shouldn't be encouraged.

 

[Dark Lord of Tech]

I read an article about the issue in Iceland...Unreal

 

[StevenRix_from_France]

Hard-drives prices are up, GPUs prices are up, memory prices are up, and now PSU prices are up. That might raise the price of a PC by 50% ... And it will dissuade lots of people in buying new hardware for this year and probably next year. I know for sure i won't buy any new hardware for the last 2 years.

 

[InvalidError]

That might raise the price of a PC by 50% ... And it will dissuade lots of people in buying new hardware for this year and probably next year.

Price rises or not, the entry-level to mid-range market is losing sales simply from a growing number of people either ditching PCs in favor of phones and tablets for most of their everyday stuff or still being happy with their 3+ years old PC. I'm still more than happy with my i5-3470 and probably won't upgrade until 2020 or so.

 

[turkey3_scratch]

Crypto has ruined the whole custom PC market.

I see gamers spending $400 for a GTX 1060. My R9 390 I bought like two or more years ago for $310 still is better value for the price I bought it at the time relative to its performance. Not planning on getting rid of it anytime soon, either. Great card still at 1440p.