The Mining Craze is Killing PC Component Prices! Again! Still!

[box o rocks]

How much longer are we going to have to experience these artificially hiked prices in PC parts. Graphics cards in particular. There was a spell here for awhile when the craze subsided and card prices were normalizing. But it didn't last. Now prices are back up again. For example, the GTX 1050 Ti is going for what the GTX 1060 used to. $200+ for the cheapest 1050 Ti? $400 - $800 for the high end ones? The 1060 is going for what the 1070 used to. And AMD card prices are off the charts... if you can find one.

And don't get me started on RAM prices...

Sorry, just had to blow off some steam. Had an adult beverage and I'm better now. :/

 

[ARICH5]

im with ya. try canadian prices. 120$ for a 1030. http://www.pcgamer.com/its-a-terrible-time-to-buy-a-graphics-card/ https://www.memoryexpress.com/Products/MX66875

unfortunatley there is no hard and fast timeframe when this will end.

 

[box o rocks]

Thanks for the reply. It's like gas price gouging years ago. $70 to fill my tank. I can do it now for $20+
Who's making all this ill-gained profit on graphic cards?

 

[TJ Hooker]

@ARICH5 GT 1030 prices haven't been affected because they're useless for mining. You just happened to pick an expensive 1030.

@box o rocks retailers/resellers with marked up prices are the ones profiting. No one can say when things will return to normal

 

[canadianvice]

I read the other day that BTC had 24% drops, so if that continues, perhaps we'll get some respite.

 

[box o rocks]

@ARICH5 GT 1030 prices haven't been affected because they're useless for mining. You just happened to pick an expensive 1030.

@box o rocks retailers/resellers with marked up prices are the ones profiting. No one can say when things will return to normal

I kind of figured it started at the chip maker itself and continued up the chain everyone adding their markup as the market would bear until it got to the retailer. Either way, I guess we have to live with it. Or, like most of us, not buy right now.

@ Canadianvice: I hope you're right. That's the only good news I've heard yet.

 

[Someone Somewhere]

I read the other day that BTC had 24% drops, so if that continues, perhaps we'll get some respite.

No-one mines BTC with GPUs.

The GPUs are only useful for coins too small to have FPGAs or ASICs yet, or that have had lots of engineering to make that infeasible.

 

[ArchitSahu]

I read the other day that BTC had 24% drops, so if that continues, perhaps we'll get some respite.

I do not think so. It is still much higher than a year ago when mining really took off if I recall correctly. It is still pretty profitable. I trade cryptos, so when it fell below 10k today it did not affect me too much because I bought at around 800.

I do not mine, however, and that is what is driving prices up. I am still stuck with a 760 2GB Reference Edition.

 

[TJ Hooker]

@box o rocks retailers/resellers with marked up prices are the ones profiting. No one can say when things will return to normal

I kind of figured it started at the chip maker itself and continued up the chain everyone adding their markup as the market would bear until it got to the retailer.

I'm almost positive the chip makers (AMD/Nvidia) don't see any extra profit, as I believe they have contracts with AIB partners to deliver large quantities of chips at a predetermined price. Maybe the AIB partners do get a piece of the markup, but I was under the impression that most of the profits from price gouging are seen by the retailer.

I read the other day that BTC had 24% drops, so if that continues, perhaps we'll get some respite.

I think it was down even more than that at one point, but the crypto market has 'crashed' every January for the last 3-4 years. The crypto market as a whole is already making a recovery. And as said above, no one mines BTC with GPUs anymore, although the price of BTC is sometimes used as a barometer for the health of the market as a whole so it could still influence GPU mining indirectly.

 

[box o rocks]

An off-topic news item in my area...
The local hospital recently had their computer system hacked. Most of their patient records were stolen, their system locked. They ended up paying a ransom of $55,000 in Bitcoins. They have a working system again and all the records/files seem returned.

 

[canadianvice]

I read the other day that BTC had 24% drops, so if that continues, perhaps we'll get some respite.

No-one mines BTC with GPUs.

The GPUs are only useful for coins too small to have FPGAs or ASICs yet, or that have had lots of engineering to make that infeasible.

True, however, the other coins seem to march largely in step with BTC - any of the common names, anyhow. They were noted as having decreases as well in the article where I saw this. I also digress somewhat regarding nobody mining on GPUs anymore...

Sure if you wanna be a big name you use ASICS, but even from my very brief experience selling hash on a 1080ti for NiceHash (never did get enough to get paid out, hahaha. Pity. Right before BTC skyrocketed too!) was forecasted to make like $8 a day..... if I ran it 24/7. Get a few extra cards and for a normie those returns don't look horrible, provided they work long term.

I guess one would be justified calling that comorbid over directly blaming BTC though...

 

[canadianvice]

An off-topic news item in my area...
The local hospital recently had their computer system hacked. Most of their patient records were stolen, their system locked. They ended up paying a ransom of $55,000 in Bitcoins. They have a working system again and all the records/files seem returned.

If I were disposed toward cybercrime, honestly, this is where I'd do it. Anything prone to bureaucracy. Universities, hospitals, charity and local institutions like police come to mind. Lots to lose, never enough money to properly protect it, but deep pockets who worry much more when they need it back than when the hapless IT guy came begging a few months earlier.