Thursday, May 15th 2014

AMD Radeon R9 Series Prices Cool Down

AMD stabilized end-user pricing of its Radeon R9 series graphics cards, restoring them to their original launch prices in most cases, and even lower in some. Pricing of most AMD Graphics CoreNext architecture-based GPUs inflated over the past 6 months, due to the frenzy created by Cryptocoin currency miners, who leveraged the chips' GPGPU performance to 'mine' currencies such as Litecoin. Sensing that high prices are driving gamers away from Radeon, AMD swung into action by dealing with the problem at two levels. First, VP Global Channel Sales, Roy Taylor micro-managed the supply chain in China, and next, the company dealt with distributors and retailers.

At the time of preparing this article, most Radeon R9 series-based graphics cards, including high-end ones such as the R9 290X, and non-reference cards, are back to their original price-points on US retailer Newegg.com. The R9 290X can now be had for as low as US $519.99 (launch-price $549.99, was inflated to $750), the R9 290 for $379.99 (launched at $399.99, was inflated to $600), the R9 280X as low as $279.99 (launched at $299.99, was inflated to $400); the R9 280 as low as $229.99 (launched at $249.99, was inflated to $280); and the R9 270X at $199.99 (was inflated as high as $250).
Source: Forbes
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51 Comments on AMD Radeon R9 Series Prices Cool Down

#26
fullinfusion
Vanguard Beta Tester
AMD your a bunch of fucking assholes!

I lol when I saw this, :wtf: "Quote" Sensing that high prices are driving gamers away from Radeon, AMD swung into action by dealing with the problem at two levels. First, VP Global Channel Sales, Roy Taylor micro-managed the supply chain in China, and next, the company dealt with distributors and retailers. "end quote"

Douchbags! They say DEALT WITH the sellers!!! And with all These "Mining" cards that have flooded the markets like Ebay for easy well over a month now, and NOW They step up?

Nice PR AMD but a little late to the game arn't we! :nutkick:Oh and you going to refund all of us the difference in price? I thought not! o_O
Posted on Reply
#27
sweet
fullinfusionAMD your a bunch of fucking assholes!

I lol when I saw this, :wtf: "Quote" Sensing that high prices are driving gamers away from Radeon, AMD swung into action by dealing with the problem at two levels. First, VP Global Channel Sales, Roy Taylor micro-managed the supply chain in China, and next, the company dealt with distributors and retailers. "end quote"

Douchbags! They say DEALT WITH the sellers!!! And with all These "Mining" cards that have flooded the markets like Ebay for easy well over a month now, and NOW They step up?

Nice PR AMD but a little late to the game arn't we! :nutkick:Oh and you going to refund all of us the difference in price? I thought not! o_O
So what do you expect here? It's not they fault that their card was sold out because of mining. Do you want them to keep the price and sell a 3000$ card?
Posted on Reply
#28
eidairaman1
The Exiled Airman
This Helps Me Out Considerably, Now Ill be able to go for the Sapphire 290 Vapor-X
Posted on Reply
#29
Steevo
Amazing, how the douche-bags in this thread roll.


Either AMD is a shithead for retailers.....retailers......retailers, marking up the price after AMD sells the chip...just the chip....only the GPU core....not setting the pricing in retail.... to board makers who are then wholesaling them to the retailers, who who then set the final price, retailers that is, who sell card to the public at whatever price the "free" market commands.

or AMD is a shithead cause they are forcing retailers to bring prices back down to reasonable levels, so AMD can sell more, and so gaming customers don't get screwed by high prices....like $3000 for a gaming card that is twice the price at not even the same performance.......I mean, who really would go for anything like that......surely no logical or sane person would think a company who set a price like that for the default suggested MSRP could be anything but greedy.........and think its customers are complete tools.


Or you are applauding how AMD is trying to help the consumer of any background and help themselves to gain market share, and understand how reasonable business works. Congratulation, you are not a douchebag, and are promoting healthy competition in the marketplace.
Posted on Reply
#30
Yorgos
RecusYes, first fire people and you will get more profit.
do you know how many people lost their jobs due to Intels dictatorship?
do you know how many companies defunct because they started innovating more than Intel in the '90s and '00s. Probably you should devote some time reading before posting comments with zero content.
You should be thankful for Via and AMD and also for the competition on the other side of the river like Arm.
Posted on Reply
#31
ensabrenoir
SteevoAmazing, how the douche-bags in this thread roll.


Either AMD is a shithead for retailers.....retailers......retailers, marking up the price after AMD sells the chip...just the chip....only the GPU core....not setting the pricing in retail.... to board makers who are then wholesaling them to the retailers, who who then set the final price, retailers that is, who sell card to the public at whatever price the "free" market commands.

or AMD is a shithead cause they are forcing retailers to bring prices back down to reasonable levels, so AMD can sell more, and so gaming customers don't get screwed by high prices....like $3000 for a gaming card that is twice the price at not even the same performance.......I mean, who really would go for anything like that......surely no logical or sane person would think a company who set a price like that for the default suggested MSRP could be anything but greedy.........and think its customers are complete tools.


Or you are applauding how AMD is trying to help the consumer of any background and help themselves to gain market share, and understand how reasonable business works. Congratulation, you are not a douchebag, and are promoting healthy competition in the marketplace.
No were saying if this was true Amd would have been making far more noise at the price hike onset and during its tenure. Now that the bulk of the mining insanity has seemed to passed and they are tons of used cards on the second hand market (why pay full price or more for new when you can save $50-$100 or more for a slightly used). Here comes our hero? Seems to me they realized the second hand market (which they don't gain any profit from) is about to flourish and they're trying to stave off a dry spell. Remember, the #1 goal of any business is to make $, otherwise they would be a charity. And a $3000 vid card is = to a $100,000 car.....just an elite status symbol for those who can.... not for the everyday man.
Posted on Reply
#32
Nabarun
I can't seem to find a single retailer here with said price-drops. It just seems like a marketing gimmick imho... :mad:
Posted on Reply
#33
sweet
ensabrenoirNo were saying if this was true Amd would have been making far more noise at the price hike onset and during its tenure. Now that the bulk of the mining insanity has seemed to passed and they are tons of used cards on the second hand market (why pay full price or more for new when you can save $50-$100 or more for a slightly used). Here comes our hero? Seems to me they realized the second hand market (which they don't gain any profit from) is about to flourish and they're trying to stave off a dry spell. Remember, the #1 goal of any business is to make $, otherwise they would be a charity. And a $3000 vid card is = to a $100,000 car.....just an elite status symbol for those who can.... not for the everyday man.
When someone buys a $ 100,000 car, I know it is an elite status symbol.
When someone pays $ 3000 for an air cooled 3 slot card that can't beat its twice cheaper rival, which is fast and cool, I know it is a symbol of stupidity.
For any sense, and a price drop is a good thing. Why the complains?
Posted on Reply
#34
Sasqui
sweetFor any sense, and a price drop is a good thing. Why the complains?
The rub here is the perception of price gouging which DID HAPPEN. Retail released at $550, prices shot up to $900 on Newegg at one point. They sold a TON of R9 cards thanks to the gold rush.

My question is who was pocketing the difference? Did AMD and partners raise the channel prices or did the retailers like Newegg do it... I suspect BOTH!

Bottom line, because of the craze, miners were buying the cards at that price and gamers were getting screwed. Now the shoe is on the other foot! The only monetary value something has is what someone else is willing to pay. If someone would pay you $900 for a $550 card, would you not take it?
Posted on Reply
#35
ensabrenoir
sweetWhen someone buys a $ 100,000 car, I know it is an elite status symbol.
When someone pays $ 3000 for an air cooled 3 slot card that can't beat its twice cheaper rival, which is fast and cool, I know it is a symbol of stupidity.
For any sense, and a price drop is a good thing. Why the complains?
.....don't think the delay is for naught. It still really aint a true gaming card though. The professional sector will see more value in it than us. I Expect to see a $2000 XXXTi something for that. I use to use Amd exclusivly up until recently for the same reason everyone loves them. But sheeesh lets not grant them saint hood, they're the lesser of the two but still an evil non the less. I applaud them for trying new things and think they're definitely on the right track. But its all a matter of perspective. Mine is that a $1500 dollar card is equally absurd as a $3000 one and both aren't for the mainstream audience. Both are for "Those who can" and "those who can even more" do either give their price tags level of performance? NO rant over
Posted on Reply
#36
bencrutz
SasquiMy question is who was pocketing the difference? Did AMD and partners raise the channel prices or did the retailers like Newegg do it... I suspect BOTH!
AMD sells gpu chips to manufacturer, not to end users :slap:
Posted on Reply
#37
Casecutter
SteevoAmazing, how the douche-bags in this thread roll.
Exactly, There's a good amount of detractors here playing the situation. AMD was dammed if they do… dammed if they don't.

The market forces of the free market took hold, and had the retailers who were watching 100's of cards, in so case in just hours fly from their inventories had not raise price it could've been worse for gamers. If they didn’t raise the prices miner's would continue buy cards and the cheap ability to pay off and then turn a healthy profit would just been adding fuel to the fire. Had the Mt. Gox issue not been in the news and exchanges dropped the value, we would've seen plenty more folks stepping in to try their hand at the get rich scheme. It would have proliferated even more and even if gamers could've seen "nice" pricing, what would it matter as all the AMD stocks would have been non-existent.

Saying that AMD could do anything is not having a good grasp of business, or how such product moves through the supply chain. AMD played it the best they could, if they tried to load the scheduled production to meet the crazy demand would mean paying a premium for parts that by the time they got to the retailer mining could have gone bust. That would mean having a ton of inventory they paid to have the rush put on and we the gamers would to some respect have to pay that. Letting the market forces of supply-and-demand is what has been proven time-and-time again, and is what is taught in business college. If you can't stomach it's too bad for you; theirs someone beating down the retailers doors to make them take their money (but you’d say oh no here have it for the regular price… how upstanding you are). When those crazed miners go away the market will adjust back, and that’s what we have. So in your mind you either had to overpaid…gone without, or paid for a competitor product that was also at a premium, because heck they could given AMD’s troubles. But you don’t see that as badly-behaving, but a good thing?
ensabrenoirUsed cards on the second hand market (why pay full price or more for new when you can save $50-$100 or more for a slightly used).
Well if you don't have a problem with purchasing a card that ran 24/7 for 5 months... and have no warranty, you can be a suppose benefactor of the mining craze. Good for you! But these prices are not all that out-of-line with the historical norm for the market after the 6+ months the card(s) have been in the market. Actually somewhat high as Nvidia has not yet weighed into vying price-wise.
Posted on Reply
#38
iKhan
I'm happy with my 7870 XT.

At this point I'd rather wait to see what Maxwell brings to the table.
Posted on Reply
#39
Steevo
ensabrenoirNo were saying if this was true Amd would have been making far more noise at the price hike onset and during its tenure. Now that the bulk of the mining insanity has seemed to passed and they are tons of used cards on the second hand market (why pay full price or more for new when you can save $50-$100 or more for a slightly used). Here comes our hero? Seems to me they realized the second hand market (which they don't gain any profit from) is about to flourish and they're trying to stave off a dry spell. Remember, the #1 goal of any business is to make $, otherwise they would be a charity. And a $3000 vid card is = to a $100,000 car.....just an elite status symbol for those who can.... not for the everyday man.
So if they sold suppliers 500,000 units at price X and the first 20,000 end cards were sold at the suggested reasonable price, but then they (the board makers and retailers) found they could get more for the others, what exactly could AMD do? Write a check to everyone who bought a card that a board partner and retailer marked up? Your comment makes me think you know nothing of supply and demand, perhaps you haven't reached it school yet...... I think I was 9 when I learned it.

Yes, a $3000 car is a status symbol, like having someone walk around with a sign saying you are an idiot for buying one.
Posted on Reply
#40
ensabrenoir
SteevoSo if they sold suppliers 500,000 units at price X and the first 20,000 end cards were sold at the suggested reasonable price, but then they (the board makers and retailers) found they could get more for the others, what exactly could AMD do? Write a check to everyone who bought a card that a board partner and retailer marked up? Your comment makes me think you know nothing of supply and demand, perhaps you haven't reached it school yet...... I think I was 9 when I learned it.

Yes, a $3000 car is a status symbol, like having someone walk around with a sign saying you are an idiot for buying one.
What the heck are you talking about? My comment was aimed at the ones who some how believed amd was working on lowering their prices during the hike or is some white knight/ saint of a company. THEY ARE JUST THE CHEAPER ALTERNATIVE. Say what you will those who can afford $3000 gfx cards didn't get to that level by being stupid. To some paying that much is no big deal we work hard to afford whatever we want end of story. If I want a $100,000 car a million dollar house or a $3000 card its all my choice. ....hate me because I can? that's stupid this whole thing is just pr

@Casecutter true and yet there are quite a few gents out there that bought several r9's, looking to sell them for a profit, willing to take a small loss now to get rid of em just cause the craziness has passed.....might just pick up one to play with myself :D
Posted on Reply
#41
eidairaman1
The Exiled Airman
NabarunI can't seem to find a single retailer here with said price-drops. It just seems like a marketing gimmick imho... :mad:
sounds like the tailers there are living in the stone age
Posted on Reply
#42
The Von Matrices
CasecutterExactly, There's a good amount of detractors here playing the situation. AMD was dammed if they do… dammed if they don't.
The "detractors" like me are commenting that the statement seems ridiculously convenient. The only other statement I've seen from AMD about the prices was in February where it was blamed decreased supply due to the Chinese new year. Of course, the only solution to that was to wait, there was nothing AMD could do about it.

One would think that if AMD was working toward improving the situation for the past months they would keep the public (or at least their shareholders) informed. This is the first official statement from AMD regarding them having any direct involvement in lowering prices other than the one time someone pointed out the $900 R9 290X on Newegg. To anyone skeptical it seems like AMD saw the prices drop naturally and then made a statement saying "yeah, we did that."
Posted on Reply
#43
Nabarun
eidairaman1sounds like the tailers there are living in the stone age
I don't think that's the case.
Posted on Reply
#44
Sasqui
night.foxwow man thanks alot for the tip.. truly appreciate it
Time to gloat... my $299 eBay Sapphire R9 290x arrived yesterday. It's flawless (so far)!

Posted on Reply
#45
64K
SasquiTime to gloat... my $299 eBay Sapphire R9 290x arrived yesterday. It's flawless (so far)!

That's a very good price for the performance that a R9 290X delivers. Well done. :toast:
Posted on Reply
#46
TheHunter
lol those blaming AMD should blame newegg to pull such a stunt :rolleyes:

Here in EU it was always at the same price, Mining didnt affect it and there is also a law for such things, no etailer would want to risk it and then get inspection.

R9-290x from 400€ customs
geizhals.eu/?cat=gra16_512&xf=1440_R9 290X&sort=p

R9-290 from 330€
geizhals.eu/?cat=gra16_512&xf=1440_R9 290&sort=p


While nvidia on the other hand was always expensive, like a fine whoe lol

780Ti from 550€
geizhals.eu/?cat=gra16_512&xf=1439_GTX 780 Ti#xf_top

780GTX from 380€
geizhals.eu/?cat=gra16_512&xf=1439_GTX 780#xf_top
Posted on Reply
#47
eidairaman1
The Exiled Airman
Yeah. Ive been finding better pricing on amazon.com and amazon.com.uk
TheHunterlol those blaming AMD should blame newegg to pull such a stunt :rolleyes:

Here in EU it was always at the same price, Mining didnt affect it and there is also a law for such things, no etailer would want to risk it and then get inspection.

R9-290x from 400€ customs
geizhals.eu/?cat=gra16_512&xf=1440_R9 290X&sort=p

R9-290 from 330€
geizhals.eu/?cat=gra16_512&xf=1440_R9 290&sort=p


While nvidia on the other hand was always expensive, like a fine whoe lol

780Ti from 550€
geizhals.eu/?cat=gra16_512&xf=1439_GTX 780 Ti#xf_top

780GTX from 380€
geizhals.eu/?cat=gra16_512&xf=1439_GTX 780#xf_top
Posted on Reply
#48
Sir Alex Ice
Yeah, right, the fact that the bitcoin mining has died completely now that MT. Gox is bankrupt and that AMD has huge stock has nothing to do with it. Or the announcement from 6 weeks ago, about ASIC machines that do 20 million hash/s.
Posted on Reply
#49
Casecutter
The Von MatricesTo anyone skeptical it seems like AMD saw the prices drop naturally and then made a statement saying "yeah, we did that."
CasecutterI think what we’re reading is more the authors hyperbolic liberty. There was not much anyone at AMD could or would have done to help the situation, and not sure he's taking credit, but it’s more this write-up is magnifying the modest things that had been at least attempted.
btarunrFirst, VP Global Channel Sales, Roy Taylor micro-managed the supply chain in China, and next, the company dealt with distributors and retailers.
Read the text it appears btarunr was mainly reusing the Forbes article that doesn't even put in quotes the information Roy Taylor was actually said to have done... as I said, "more the authors hyperbolic liberty" than stated fact.
Sir Alex Icethat AMD has huge stock
I don't know if we can just assume AMD has Huge stocks... I don't believe they ever "up'd" their wafer starts to ease the problem. Who would(?); knowing how quickly it could go "bust" for the reasons you gave. I considered them holding fairly steady, except perhaps the Tahiti stuff, as that was the bread and butter the mining crowd really liked. Though now I think AMD does have a full channel, and may need to move out lots of SKU's if there's truth to the "Hawaii with HBM" (high-bandwidth memory), and with "Tonga". With both perhaps showing in the next few months AMD doesn't want to be sitting on all those in 1-2 months, because both have hinted as "Summer releases"
Posted on Reply
#50
Sir Alex Ice
I do not ASSUME, I know for a FACT they have stock. I'm in the PC components and parts business.
Posted on Reply
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