What is old is new again. Çhipmakers are continuing for sound the alarm about scarcity continuing in 2021, then Nvidia plans to launch your actions Older GTX 1050 Ti and RTX 2060 to make up for the global shortage of GPUs.
In a statement to PRAÇAWorld, who initially broke the news, an Nvidia spokesman confirmed that he was relaunching the GTX 1050 Ti and RTX 2060 for the card’s partners so they can launch new hardware. The spokesman noted that GPUs “never had EOL [end-of-lifed]”And that Nvidia was just” meeting market demand, which remains extremely high. ”
So why use old and arguably obsolete graphics cards? While Nvidia impressed everyone last year with its new 3000 series GPUs, the chaos that ensued after launch ensured that most people couldn’t get their hands on one. Part of this can be attributed to the global supply chain problems spurred by the pandemic, but video card scalpers also made the problem worse, as bots bought the coveted GPUs to be resold at absurd prices. After an RTX 3080 supposedly sold by a notorious $ 70,000 on eBay, one Gizmodo Research found that the GTX 3080 was at the center legitimate civil war of bots during which angry users fired on money changers to raise prices and, hopefully, have their listings deleted. In October, Nvidia also delayed launch RTX 3070 to avoid further annoying customers.
According PRAÇAWorld, displaying older GPUs is a smart move Why they can be manufactured using established process technology, thereby reducing costs. In the case of the RTX 2060, a card that supports ray tracked and launched for the first time in 2019, Nvidia manages to spend less while placing a relatively current GPU in the hands of manufacturers. The GTX 1050 Ti, in turn, is considerably older—was launched in 2016—but is yet able to handle less demanding games or meet the needs of younger PC players. Another benefit is that the GTX 1050 Ti is equipped with older GDDR5 VRAM, making it incompatible with the Ethereum cryptocurrency mining, which requires more than 4 GB of onboard memory. Why yes, people who are trying to profit from the cryptocurrency bubble are now also exacerbating the shortage of GPU acquiring newer and more powerful models.
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At the same time, this “solution” is not as accessible to consumers as it may seem at first. The GTX 1050 Ti launched for $ 140 in 2016, but is currently online for more than $ 200, with some reaching prices over $ 400. The RTX 2060 is even more expensive, selling for over $ 700 when the launch price was $ 350.
The lack of chips is worrying enough that even the Biden administration has pledged to take action. Bloomberg reports that Biden must sign an executive order for a government-wide supply chain review after leaders in chip companies like Intel, Qualcomm, and AMD wrote to management asking for support. Even so, this is not likely to fix the current shortage immediately.
In the meantime, you will probably have to keep a keen eye on prices and trust luck. Iif your current configuration is working, you may want to try to stay zen about the whole thing for a while longer.