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GPU Prices Soar as Bitcoin Miners Buy Up Hardware To Build Rigs (computerworld.com)

Posted by EditorDavid on from the hoarding-hardware dept.

"Bitcoin and other cryptocurrency miners have created a dearth of mid-range and high-end GPU cards that are selling for twice as much as suggested retail," reports Computerworld. "The reason: miners are setting up server farms with the cards." Lucas123 writes: GPU prices have more than doubled in some cases... Some of the most popular GPUs can't even be found anymore as they've sold out due to demand. Meanwhile, some retailers are pushing back against bitcoin miners by showing favoritism to their traditional gamer customers, allowing them to purchase GPUs at manufacturer's suggested retail price. Earlier this year, NVIDIA asked retailers of its hardware to prioritize sales to gamers over cryptocurrency miners.

8 of 157 comments (clear)

  1. What a shitty post, even for slashdot... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

    1) Bitcoin is NOT mined on GPU, since like 5 years. Only on special ASIC devices. You ment to write that crypto-currencies, ALTcoins, are GPU mined

    2) This is going on for like 1-2 years now, including the GPU shortage as result of ALT-coin mining

    1. Re:What a shitty post, even for slashdot... by Entrope · · Score: 4, Informative

      Indeed. In the last few months, GPU process have actually dropped a fair bit. In January, it was common to see Radeon Vega 64 cards offered for almost 4x MSRP.

  2. Old news by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Informative

    This has been known for a while. Post some stuff that isn't stale bread.

  3. Re: so fucking stupid by negRo_slim · · Score: 5, Insightful

    They won't buy them cuz then they'd have zero resale value after the card is no longer powerful enough to mine. Selling used cards to gamers gets at least a few bucks back.

    --
    On the Oregon Cost born and raised, On the beach is where I spent most of my days
  4. Prices are actually falling by drinkypoo · · Score: 4, Informative

    Hothardware reports that pricing is now on a downward trend, with GPU prices approaching MSRP. They suggest that this is at least in part due to a new Ethereum ASIC miner. And they provide citations to show that the prices are actually falling, while computerworld simply makes a claim with no evidence...

    --
    "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
  5. welcome to 2 years ago by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Welcome to 2016. What moron posted this article. GPU prices are dropping not soaring, Bitcoin hasn't been mined on GPU's for years now, alt coin mining since the price crashes has led to nice drops in GPU prices

  6. Re: so fucking stupid by alvinrod · · Score: 4, Insightful

    There'd probably be some benefit to a mining only card. The lack of ports for connecting to displays would make the cards less expensive and companies could bin chips that have defects only in the parts of the chip that would make them useless for gaming but don't affect their ability to mine. Also, I don't believe that the used market is that valuable as it's likely to get flooded as miners try to upgrade at the same time and many consumers are leery about buying cards used for mining to begin with.

  7. Re: so fucking stupid by bjwest · · Score: 4, Insightful

    They won't buy them cuz then they'd have zero resale value after the card is no longer powerful enough to mine. Selling used cards to gamers gets at least a few bucks back.

    I seriously don't want a graphics card that has been abused in a mining rig. They aren't meant to run full power 24/7, and I doubt there's more than a couple of use in them.

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    --- Keep the choice with the user..