The year 2021 is starting with some bad news for PC makers. Asus video cards and motherboards sold in the United States are experiencing price increases due to tariff returns on certain imports from China.
The problem became clear on Monday, when an Asus marketing representative said that price increases will begin to appear in early 2021. “Our new MSRP (manufacturer’s suggested retail price) reflects increases in component costs. operational costs and logistical activities, in addition to the continuation of import tariffs ”, said the post on Facebook.
As a result, the company’s RTX 3090 ROG Strix OC Edition graphics card now sells for $ 1,979 – up from $ 1,799. The Asus KO Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070 OC Edition, in turn, rose to $ 639, an increase of $ 549.
The current price for GPUs on the Asus website. (Credit: Asus)
The tariffs come from the Trump administration, which imposed a 25% tax on electronic components imported from China in May 2019. The affected products include graphics cards, motherboards, in addition to desktop PC cases and power supply units. that produce more than 500 watts.
The White House later granted temporary tariff indemnities, citing requests from U.S. stakeholders, but that exemption lasted until December 31. So don’t be surprised if you see more price increases in the coming weeks.
That said, many PC makers are moving their production from China to neighboring areas, including Taiwan and Southeast Asia. We contacted the PC manufacturers to comment on the rates and will update the story if we hear back.
Meanwhile, the other problem facing PC makers is a lack of supplies. The latest graphics cards from Nvidia and AMD remain out of stock at all major retailers, which may persist in the coming months.