My GTX 980 seems to be dying. Not a good time to need a new graphics card!

Nabbed a Nvidia RTX 3060 at Microcenter on my first trip there. Got there about an hour before they opened... was like 30 people ahead of me in line and some of them said they had been there over 15 hours. By the time they opened the doors there was probably another 20 people in line behind me. Got pretty lucky that cards were left by the time it was my turn. My step brother went with me and he also got a 3060.

My current rig:

• CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 3600 3.6 GHz 6-Core
• CPU Cooler: Cooler Master MasterLiquid ML240L V2 RGB 62 CFM Liquid
• MOBO: Gigabyte B550M DS3H Micro ATX AM4
• RAM: Crucial Ballistix 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3600 CL16
• OS Drive: Crucial P5 500 GB M.2-2280 NVME SSD
• GPU: MSI GeForce RTX 3060 12 GB VENTUS 2X OC
• Case: BitFenix Nova Mesh SE ATX Mid Tower
• PSU: Gigabyte P GM 750 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX

I installed the leaked Nvidia driver that unlocks mining potential since Nvidia decided to lock it to half it's ability. So between gaming, I let the mining roll. Currently with ETH up as high as it is, even a single 3060 can average over $10 a day. Figure I can make the GPU pay for itself at this rate in about 45 days.

It's ridiculous that there's still a shortage of those.

Agreed. I've just accepted that it'll be 2022 before I can get one of these. I'm tired of trying with Best Buy and New Egg - it's just not worth the hassle to just strike out over and over.

Not really. Like the poster above you discussed once people started using them for mining that destroyed any chance of them being readily available for normal people.

It's not the mining, it's just the semiconductor shortage. You can't buy a PS5 or Switch right now either. 2080's were easy to get even though they were heavily used in mining rigs.

ASIC sort of killed the demand for GPUs in crypto - I am curious if Etherium and a slew of others are still planning to sunset mining in the near future.

Even the automobile industry can't produce cars due to the shortage. They have parking lots full of vehicles that are ready to go but lacking the computer chips.

There is a hell of demand for RTX 3000s from miners. Enough that Nvidia is nerfing the Ethereum hash rate for cards coming out in May. Even after Ethereum makes it’s changes in July miners will just switch to another coin.

I actually got a RTX 3070 last week from EVGA. I joined their waiting list last September and got an email offering me a card last Tuesday. Card was delivered Friday. I wasn't expecting to get one until the end of the year, but I was lucky.

Epic is running another one of their game sales with the never ending $10 off $14.99 coupon (reusable).

NBA2k21 is currently free.

https://www.epicgames.com/store/en-U...ials/mega-sale

Some deals after coupon:
Death Stranding: $13.99
Kingdom Hearts III: $30.99
Kingdom Hearts 1.5 + 2.5: $23.49
Outriders: $34.99
Pillars of Eternity Definitive: $9.99
Red Dead Redemption II: $30.19
Disco Elysium Final Cut: $19.99
Watch Dogs: Legion: $19.99
Immortals Fenyx Rising: $19.99
Tetris Effect (+ VR): $16.79
THPS 1+2: $15.99
GTA V Premium: $6.49

I ended up buying a used EVGA gtx 1070 for $400 locally yesterday. I hate having to over pay, but I like having a computer that doesn't crash whenever I try to play a game.

Yikes, I didn't realize just how stupid the pricing was on all this lately if a 1070 is setting you back that much.

If anyone doesn't mind parsing out and re-selling part of a bundle, Antonline has been selling kits lately (one of the PS5 Restock accounts I follows posts them (@mattswider))

You mean a 3070?

Damn, I have a 1070 sitting around that I've been too lazy to sell. Guess I better get on that.

Yeah, it is nuts. Really bad time for my 980 to die. It like $300 for a 1060, $400 for a 1070, $500 for a 1070ti, $600+ for a 1080. 3060s are usually at least twice MSRP.
The kits and premades with the 30series usually don't ship for a a few months

Hello All

Tomorrow I plan on watching the MS and Bethesda Joint Show with a lot of interest...for two reasons...to hear and see MS Plans for expanding the Game Pass, ways and means like incorporating...XB into TV's and also Bethesda's Plans on future games being exclusive to XB and PC since I'm a Fallout and Elder Scrolls Fan....so right now getting a PS5 has been put on the back-burner while getting more involved in PC Gaming has moved to the front...

What is the current situation regarding the Video Cards as I know they're somewhat in the same boat as XBox Series X and PS5 with chip shortages and the fact Video Card Prices have shoot up dramatically. Yet I see on sites...like my favorite Cyberpower...one can still order PC Systems with various cards of all flavors from Nvidia to AMD...I just cannot make heads and tails of which is which, good, bad, so-so. too overpriced, Best Bang for Buck....

Second....has anyone used a TV or Projector as a Monitor and if so how is the performance compared to a PC monitor? I have a Sony Projector but it's 1080P max, can hook up but presently don't have any PC Games on our system to demo and look at at not just visual but response and all. And are there good solid sets that could be used for both Console and PC?

personally...I think MS is actually in a good position and far better than Sony which is a shame...but they not only have a console but the PC market to fall back on which is probably booming and more accessible than trying to land a XB or PS5 at the moment and probably for a long time...plus with PC they can have XBox Pass, Steam, Epic...looks like a no brainer....

It's not tomorrow, it's Sunday.

It's like anything else, exclusives make or break the systems for me. Right now the PS5 is ahead slightly, but some of those Bethesda titles are definitely big gets (sadly, I haven't been interested in their two biggest franchises in decades). It's been great seeing exclusives from both platforms making their way to PC, and PC gaming in general seems to have grown steadily over the last decade (and jumped like 27% last year due to COVID)

I currently have a gaming desktop setup through my projector, using a Logitech wireless keyboard (w/ touchpad) and Xbox One gamepads (w/ dongle), if you have any specific questions feel free to ask (I also have a USB C adapter for my USB 3.0 ports so I can use my Oculus Quest 2 with it, though I usually just go wireless with it anymore). I feel like the current "sweet spot" is the RTX 3060 Ti, which sells for $399.99 when available. I currently have a 2070 Super which I'm really happy with, this is a step up. It's still very hard to get these cards, but following somebody on Twitter like @mattswider makes it much easier to snag one (turn on notifications/alerts) - there was a huge BestBuy sale yesterday with both RTX cards and Xbox Series X systems available for a good while and there are places that ship out bundles - both routes are usually pretty fast. Or just order a pre-made, and they'll get it all squared away (albeit, it normally comes with a 6 week wait).

I always find notebookcheck's card comparisons pretty good: https://bit.ly/3xfKB2M (If for some reason it switches back, be sure "Show only Desktop GPUS" is selected.)

Edit: And while it gets its fair share of criticism, Steam Big Picture Mode is fantastic (for the most part) when using your PC as a game console on a TV.

Control is free on Epic Game Store until the 17th.

I spent a great deal of time yesterday on looking at individual parts thinking seriously of trying to build a PC. All went well after looing and reading articles on "Best _______ for PC gaming 2021"...on Motherboards, CPU, Power Supplies, Cases, Memory, SSD Drives...but all that fell apart after reading and SEEING the current prices of the New to even Older Cards...sorry but unless you're a fanatic about PC Gaming, I can't see buying a Card that cost as much or more than all the other PC Parts combined...

I looked at the Low End GTX 1650...which came out mid 2019....current Price is around $400 for the 4GB version...when it launched, the suggested price was for same model was $150.....

I then decided to look at the RTX 2060...basically the same insane markup....I found a Jan 2019 Review from PC Gamer...at the time...$350 for a 6GB...now, that same card is going for....$650-$700

....and forget about it on the GTX 3060, 3070 and RTX 5000 and 6000 series....good grief.....

I ordered our other newer PC from Cyberpower and have been checking their site a lot. Sorry but's almost a no brainer when you see their builds that include these same Cards and yet come out cheaper than buying individual parts. I looked at one with a Ryzen 7 3600, AMD RTX6700 12gb,...that right there is already $1500.00 buying separate....Father's Day Special, $300 off for $1800.00...rest of everything from Case, MB, Memory, SSD's, Power Supply would add another $600 easy....

I'd like to get one but at this point might wait a bit and see what happens...and keep trying to land a PS5..but think this "Chip Shortage" affecting everything now will be around as high prices and demand for awhile....

They had stock of the RTX 3060s at msrp last week on a couple sites., it was easier to get those than the PS5 (Which was a swing and a miss until the Gamestop bundles) but you still had to be on there at the right time / follow the tweets. Antonline currently has 3060 and 3070 "bundles" available to ship immediately but they're pretty whacked out bundles (forced inclusions: $200 kb+m combo, $100 power supply, $300 - $400 ryzen, etc)

But yeah, it's a costly build anyway you look at it

With mining currently still booming, the graphics card pays for itself in no time really.

Even my 3060 with the unlocked driver earned $160 from about 40 days of mining. A little over 3 months worth of mining would have the card paid off and profit in my pocket.

The PC build I posted up above on this page... Was something like $1,100 total cost. $500 of that was the GPU.

I read this article yesterday about the steps retailers are starting to take to try and limit the bulk buying of video cards for scalping/mining:
https://kotaku.com/its-not-that-hard...aph-1847126477

Various Mirco Center stores are limiting purchases to 1 video card per customer ever 30 days, confirmed via government ID. It also suggests that a raffle maybe could work, where people sign up to buy one, and the store randomly selects who can buy a card when they come in.

But yes, 2021 is a rough year to be building a new gaming PC. As you noted, buying pre-built PCs with premium video cards is a bit easier and better value at the moment. If you're considering an all-new PC instead of just upgrading your existing PC with a new video card, going pre-built is probably the best option right now.

..
Even on Cyberpower's Site, anything with a RTX and RX says ..."Allow a extra 2 weeks"...a few even show 4 weeks. I checked Newegg and basically all the newer line cards are Sold Out; you can get the RTX 16 and 20 series still but they're marked up almost double what the suggested price was 1-2 years ago....and sure many like PS5's are ending up on EBay. Thankfully there's not a lot of games out right now I wanting to play...real reason for PC was to give the XBox PC game pass a go while looking at Steam and Epic for deals...the PS4 is still humming but the writing is on the wall that newer games coming...at end of year thru next year...are being made with the New Gen in mind and taking advantage of the new Cards Tech. We'll still be able to play but we'll be getting the "Lite Versions".....