NVIDIA Could Bring Back GeForce GTX 1650 As Crushing GPU Demand Infuriates PC Gamers
Between silicon yields being too low, pandemic-induced production problems, cryptocurrency mining, and high demand, it has become an awful year to be a gamer trying to buy computer components and consoles alike. GPUs have been especially hard hit in the technology sector, with stock remaining limited and scalpers ruling the roost. Now, rumors are cropping up out of China that NVIDIA will try to pump the market with a supply of older GeForce GTX 1650 cards, but is that what people need or want?
If you are looking to build a PC at the time of writing, you would perhaps be better off buying from the older used market or just waiting altogether. What are meant to be top-of-the-line cards at reasonable prices have become extremely valuable holy grails in a saturated market. The GeForce RTX 30 series and AMD Radeon RX 6000 series are routinely nowhere to be found in stock at online retailers, and when there are drops, it becomes a rat race of who has the fastest trigger finger or auto-buy bot.
Though this may be a stop-gap fix, investing in PC parts is not something people want to do multiple times as stock comes and goes. However, while shortages may be OK in the short-term, we are beginning to look long-term at cyclic shortages until the issues secede. What this could lead to is a fundamental change in DIY PCs in the future, with a drive toward cloud gaming and less of a reliance on "getting that one part you still need."
While it is hard to speculate what could be on the horizon, the hope is that GPU prices will come down as production increases due to the pandemic winding down and manufacturing investments becoming more prevalent. While not short-term, President Joe Biden's stimulus for domestic chip manufacturing could help with these issues in the years to come. In any case, we will have to keep an eye on this global issue as it develops, so keep an eye on HotHardware for updates.
