How are you all coping with increasing PC hardware and tech prices around the world?

[MIRTAZAPINE]

Tech and PC building is my biggest hobby growing up it was around in 2015 where I started building my own PC. I had alot of fun time during those years. Being from asia part tech parts are general higher price that other places. I was happy when amazon and newegg began shipping to my country. It really saved at least 30% than buying it locally. It was a fun time building low end builds and me shopping around the 2nd hand market locally here for my rather lower end PC. I remember the days spending hours on amazon feeling good finding deals for under $100 for psu and rams. Also got a massive amount of fun with my $50 intel Pentium G3258 cpu then. Awesome value then having a cpu that is the performance of something at least 3 times that after overclock.

Fast forward now to 2021 looking at amazon and newegg. Prices are just so impossible now, the days of me saving buying online is coming towards and end. Even locally here in my country price and stock is not any better. Price are inflation are generally more mild the increase from the already high base price for Asia do not jump as much as in country like usa. My cheap 2nd hand market is pretty much eliminated here. The low stocks of items in general is the huge problem.

Right now after hearing news of dram and nand prices predicted to rise up and the global chip shortage. It makes me wonder if I should just take the hit now and buy all the ssd and rams I predict I would need. In this economy I don't want to spent much but seeing the trend on the way up I may have to bite the bullet now. I am gonna miss those time where I get reasonable parts for under $100 in fact my pc back in 2014 the parts are mostly under $60.

Sorry for the rant. What would you all do? Buy all the things now and just hold out and see. Or risk paying higher prices down the road?

 

[micropage7]

i like to map what i need and scrolling the 2nd hand, sometimes you can find something that pretty good with low tag but honestly you can't get the same quality, some come in great some come in pretty shitty

now i still use spec from several years ago, yeah i know it's little bit slow for today standard but i'm gonna skip upgrading until i have reason to upgrade it, like the game needs
and for now i prefer something that come in basic, i mean less RGB, less fancy could same you $

 

[ixi]

SSD and RAM is cheap as hell where I live. GPU - from x3 to x5 higher than mrsp. Still waiting for gpu's to cost as msrp. Don't care if it gonna take 1 or more years. I'm not a dumbass who overpays.

Without pc since summer, hehe. Looks like 5xxxG is the next cpu for me for a while if there really gonna be RDNA2.

 

[TheLostSwede]

Luckily the only thing that's excessively expensive here now is graphics cards.
RAM and SSDs have never been cheaper.
Luckily my rig is mostly fine as is, although I regret not getting a graphics card at MSRP earlier this year, but I just didn't have the cash to spare.

Just be glad you're not older, computers used to be a lot more expensive.
My old man bought me a 386SX-16 with 2MB of RAM, 256kb graphics memory, a 40MB hard drive, a 3.5" floppy drive, a 14" CRT screen, with Windows 3.0 and a laser printer for the equivalent of US$4,400 in today's money.
Well, technically he bought it for his company, but he had no clue how to use it and he actually never learnt to use that one.

That said, I guess I got him another fives or six computers in return over the years, so I guess he won out in the long term.

 

[oxrufiioxo]

It hasn't been bad other than gpu's and the 5950x/5900x

Everything else has been relatively easy to get at a decent price on the flip side I've sold older hardware for disgusting prices on ebay not even trying to rip people off just doing normal auctions...

 

[EzioAs]

I'm pretty much satisfied with what I have. Sure, I thought I could upgrade my GPU this year but I can wait. Also not a fan of the current mid-range lineup from either side, even with the "launch" MSRP, because I'll only buy GPU at $250 or less.

 

[tabascosauz]

It really saved at least 30% than buying it locally. It was a fun time building low end builds and me shopping around the 2nd hand market locally here for my rather lower end PC. I remember the days spending hours on amazon feeling good finding deals for under $100 for psu and rams. Also got a massive amount of fun with my $50 intel Pentium G3258 cpu then. Awesome value then having a cpu that is the performance of something at least 3 times that after overclock.

Right now after hearing news of dram and nand prices predicted to rise up and the global chip shortage. It makes me wonder if I should just take the hit now and buy all the ssd and rams I predict I would need.

For me the issue was more for waiting for the 5900X than the actual price of the 5900X, which was about $50-75 more than 3900X launch price. I imagine the price increase would sting more for 5600X ($100-180 more on a formerly $200-300 CPU) or 5800X owners ($150-200 more), since you buy a 3700X for 5600X prices or 3900X (!) for 5800X prices. You can't buy a 3950X for the price of a 5900X, lol.

Definitely do feel really bad for anyone who needs a GPU right now, though (whether needing a replacement or building anew). Wouldn't want to be them. I got my 2060 Super in 2019 and am definitely going to be sitting on it for quite some time.

These DRAM/NAND hikes have been happening for years. They've never really made memory and storage difficult to afford or impossible to find (at least in NA), unlike GPUs right now. Plus, there's always lot more competition in that space than with CPUs or GPUs, where not being able to find one or two products actually leaves you in limbo unable to find an alternative. You just get a less great deal on slightly slower RAM or storage.

 

[Tomgang]

5800X availability is pretty good in my country now to MSRP. 5600X is still hard to find. But not impossible. 5900X and 5950X is however still a pain.

But gpu is a significant problem still. Overpriced and nearly impossible to find. Many stores still haven't even shipped orders from lauch day on ampere cards and it is not better with amd.

Motherboard, psu and other hardware is not so much a problem to get.

Biggest problem is still gpu. That's for sure.

For my part. I need a new pc. So I have been buying parts as I see them come in and when I have the parts I need to build, I will do it. While wait with parts I can wait with. So I will be using my old gpu for now, until gpu are, better in stock amd not so dam overpriced.

 

[Frick]

Interesting word, "coping".

I was hoping to pick up a 1/2TB SSD but it's not like I need it, and I got the 2060 at a good price so I'm set for many years.

 

[RJARRRPCGP]

5800X availability is pretty good in my country now to MSRP. 5600X is still hard to find. But not impossible. 5900X and 5950X is however still a pain.

But gpu is a significant problem still. Overpriced and nearly impossible to find. Many stores still haven't even shipped orders from lauch day on ampere cards and it is not better with amd.

Motherboard, psu and other hardware is not so much a problem to get.

Biggest problem is still gpu. That's for sure.

For my part. I need a new pc. So I have been buying parts as I see them come in and when I have the parts I need to build, I will do it. While wait with parts I can wait with. So I will be using my old gpu for now, until gpu are, better in stock amd not so dam overpriced.

And SSDs seem even easier to get, lately. I just simply pay some more, it's much like PSUs! Ones under 50-ish, (USD) are the ones to avoid. Unless you're using Linux, don't get a 120 GB SSD!
For goodness sakes, a 1 TB SSD isn't hard to get, at least where I am!
Not treacherous like GPUs! The GPU market is as treacherous as Texas (2021) and Georgia (2011) with a record cold snap!

 

[witkazy]

If You have hard time coping ,crowbar costs like 10 bucks ,but if You are really strap just fight Your way through check out to exit and world is Your oyster

 

[Tomgang]

And SSDs seem even easier to get, lately. I just simply pay some more, it's much like PSUs! Ones under 50-ish, (USD) are the ones to avoid. Unless you're using Linux, don't get a 120 GB SSD!
For goodness sakes, a 1 TB SSD isn't hard to get, at least where I am!
Not treacherous like GPUs! The GPU market is as treacherous as Texas (2021) and Georgia (2011) with a record cold snap!

SSD Is in stock as well. Samsung 980 pro i am looking for to get are all in stock and price even dropped a little bit since launch.

No only really problem to get is gpu and Zen 3 5900X and 5950X. Else hardware is not so much a problem to get any More.

 

[hat]

It's definitely not a buyer's market right now, so I don't buy. My 1070 is more than enough. Everyone has a backlog of games anyway, right? Or find new, interesting things to play that don't require the combined computing power of NASA to run.

 

[RJARRRPCGP]

SSD Is in stock as well. Samsung 980 pro i am looking for to get are all in stock and price even dropped a little bit since launch.

No only really problem to get is gpu and Zen 3 5900X and 5950X. Else hardware is not so much a problem to get any More.

I get my Samsung SSDs factory direct now, IIRC, is the same way AMD does their stuff, which I haven't even tried yet. I still got my Ryzen 7 3700X off of Newegg. Samsung SSDs, FTW!

 

[Hyderz]

my system was pretty much complete in 2019 and i stepped up to 32gb because this system wont change until 2025.
Last year when the 30 series cards launched, i managed to snag a 3090 close to msrp. I guess i got very lucky with the gpu.
So i guess you can say i'm not affected by the availability of the hardware, but i do hope those wanting to buy it, dont have to pay scalper prices.

 

[FireFox]

I can't complain about the prices i paid for the actual hardware i own, i started buying them around middle of November and the last part got it around middle of December ( except GPU ) i wasn't rushing on getting all together, not because i didn't have the money but because i was looking for the best deals, the 10700k was priced 400€+ but i got it for 350€, Motherboard the same 400€+ but i got it for like 370€ if I'm not mistaken, 32GB Ram for 150€ ( reasonable price) about SSD prices were reasonable too, the biggest challenge i was going to face was to get a 3080 but meanwhile i was using a 1080 i had laying around, with a little bit of patience and in a less than a month found the GPU for 800€, that said, maybe i was lucky, maybe i bought things in the right moment?

 

[silentbogo]

So far the situation only affects GPUs and RAM.
Everything else is the same way it's been before.
If anything, I'm on a crazy shopping spree right now. If it's not for gaming - it's business as usual, plus you can always resort to used parts.
I've recently upgraded my main PC to R7 3800X, added 32GB of RAM, gonna order a second 1TB NVME from my next paycheck, currently rebuilding a server rack in my apartment (but it's mostly paid by my boss), got some parts for two personal mini-servers etc.
With GPUs, I'd wait 'till summer. Ethereum moves from PoW to PoS in July-August, which will dampen mining enthusiasm a little, and possibly bring back some of those mid-to-hi end GPUs back on the market.

My 1070 is more than enough. Everyone has a backlog of games anyway, right? Or find new, interesting things to play that don't require the combined computing power of NASA to run.

Exactly. Ever since this mining boom started, I'm constantly contemplating about selling my 2060S, which currently costs almost twice as much on a used market as I paid for a brand new one.
I have a spare 1070, and my game library has at least 90 or so games that good-ole Pascal can handle in 1440p or even 4K. Worst case - I'll have enough time to finish abominable Fallout 4 and get 100% achievements.
Once this thing passes, or AMD/Nvidia figure out the way to make more cards for consumers, I'll just use the money for a shiny-new 30-series or 6000-seires card (unless I spend it on another server).

 

[xtreemchaos]

im pissed off for sure. but im not going to be paying over the odds for anything id go without a 3070 before i let them rob me.

 

[FireFox]

This is nothing to do with Hardware related but it looks like the company HardwareLabs is suffering shortage of components.

 

[P4-630]

Well I could have pre ordered a 3080 TUF but I wanted to wait for the STRIX review but that took months, and was never in stock in my country, by then few GPU's were for pre-order at high prices and otherwise just completely out of stock, for now most of my GPU moneys went to a new 4K TV. I'll just wait and see how it goes with the GPU's availability and prices...
I may even wait for next gen Lovelace/Hopper, actually my 2070 Super still runs everything, but the upgrade would be for higher fps gaming on my 165Hz 1440p screen.

 

[FireFox]

actually my 2070 Super still runs everything

Lucky you that at least have a 2070, some people doesn't even have a 1070

Off topic
For those that didn't notice it i am Knoxx29 just changed Nickname

 

[purplekaycee]

It's even worse if you live in an African County.

 

[P4-630]

i am Knoxx29 just changed Nickname

Yeah I noticed it yesterday..
Beeb, beeb...

 

[nguyen]

Woohoo, seems like I avoided the crypto-demic twice with 1080Ti in 2017 and 3090 in 2020. Although I should have taken my friend's advice and bought some Bitcoin at the beginning of 2020

 

[mb194dc]

Not upgrading, simple as that. Don't really feel like I'm missing anything either.

Tech world is very different from 20 or 30 years ago. Back then each new hardware release brought big gains in everyday Windows use, applications and games.

Now I have several machines from 10 years ago that will run everyday office applications and windows with zero real world difference to kit from the last couple of years.

Only difference is in games, though I'm on 1080p 60 and 3 year old ryzen and 5600xt with bios mod runs everything I play at 100fps or more. Upgrading to 4k eventually would be nice, happy to wait years if necessary as despite all those extra pixels, meh.

I also manage some servers, even there just barely worth upgrading kit from 3 years ago for my uses. Biggest difference was going from mechanical 15k rpm SAS drives to SSDs in raid 10. Now just swap the SSD out as they wear out. E3-1240 v6 is plenty fast enough for what I need. I can see if you're running servers that need huge computational power, EPYC might be a big jump.