Is medium to high end Pc gaming becoming too niche ?

Spyhawk

Limp Gawd
Joined
Jul 5, 2008
Messages
400
I think yes and it will force more and more people towards consoles. I have no issues whatsoever with anyone who can afford 5k high end pcs that used to be 3k just 3 years ago. This is not a gripe at them. This is a gripe at those that are destroying the PC gaming community by overpricing the top end that OfCourse will overprice the mid to lower tier components.

I mean what do you actually get for these over priced items compared to stuff half the price? Really. Other than the hyped up stuff that enthusiasts scream about, is it possible to purchase pc related items at half the price for comparable perf? Ide really like to see a thorough thingy about this somewhere.
 
I think that "high-end" PC gaming has always been very niche. Sort of like the number of people who buy sports cars compared to "normal" cars. But that doesn't mean PC gaming itself is niche, or in decline. Plenty of people are happy to play games on a fairly low-end computer. Even a modern AMD APU can play most games just fine at reasonable settings. Intel integrated graphics have got a lot better lately also.

GPUs are still overpriced in general as a holdover from the crypto-mining craze, and Nvidia still trying to milk the situation, but if you go back a generation or two you can find cards for very cheap. I see people selling cards like a 980 Ti, 1070, or 1660 Ti for ~$125 which is VERY cheap for cards that can still play games just fine. Other components aside from brand-new GPUs aren't really overpriced IMO. The 5800X3D is one of the best gaming CPUs right now and you can find it for ~$300.

I don't think that people will flock to consoles because they don't have an identical target audience. There are some games that simply can't be played well on a console using a controller, such as RTS and MMO games. Also consider that people have reasons to get a computer that go beyond gaming, so it's easy to justify buying a computer, with gaming as sort of a bonus in many ways. And as long as computer gaming exists, there will always be people willing to spend more to get something faster.
 
I think that "high end" is relative. The market for $5K gaming PCs exists because there is an audience actually willing to pay that much. Those people simply didn't exist in large enough numbers 10 or 20 years ago.

You can game totally fine on an RX 6600 which was $200 on Black Friday.
by overpricing the top end that OfCourse will overprice the mid to lower tier components.
I'd contest that. Inflation adjusted MSRP always gave an improvement in price/perf at the mainstream tier. There was a period when the improvement stalled thanks to chip shortages and cryptocurrencies, but you can't blame that on the GPU manufacturers. Another issue is that PC unit sales have been in decline for a decade, which means it enjoys less benefits from economies of scale (the exceptions are repurposed mobile and datacenter products).
 
I have been an early adopter for 20 years building my own Gaming PCs. That said you can see my sig below. I refuse to pay the premium for many reasons beside feeling like I'm being robbed but that's where my current line of reasoning began. I looked back at what I did with all that top of the line cutting edge tech and what I saw was an endless series of compromises. You know... when that latest and greatest game comes out. Take for example the latest tech 4000 series GPUs. Built for 8k but few if any 8k monitors exist. Your favorite new release game does 60 FPS @ 4k but you've heard its better for your K/D at 144Hz so you turn down the eye candy and lock in the frame rates. You begin to notice there is not much you've lost in terms of visible satisfaction especially when you are kicking ass and taking tags. Ya... FPS here. My last major build was a 3900x 2080Ti 3600 CL16 and blazing fast M.2 which was well before the explosion of prices in general. I paid more than I wanted to for the 2080Ti but it was promising the greatest thing since sliced bread... Raytracing. We all know how that worked out. I felt cheated. Of course when the 3000 series came out I got that old familiar itch to move up. but just like the promise of SLI I wasn't biting on the bait. I've bought binned CPUs I've delidded them used liquid metal to replace the IHS never been a stanger to wanting the very best overclocking and watercooling but my journey as an enthusiast started buying the cheapest tech and ocing it past the top tier offerings which was doable back in the day. That was back when no one supported overclocking. Overtime Manufacturers did support OCing but they have ruined even that. Now it's not even worth the effort for the little headroom we get. In the end I decided it's time to reduce my expectations and I have not suffered in the least. I only recently upgraded my CPU to a 5800X3D which was a departure from where I would have been in the past which would have been a 5950x and I bought it at a steep discount. I also recently upgraded my GPU to a 3090 FTW3 Ultra which I bought used and put the absolute best waterblock on it all in for under $1000. Would I like a 3090 Ti top tier? Sure. I could have, would have in the past held out for a 4090 Ti but w/the aforementioned waterblock it would be 3000+ all in and for what? I'll still be playing my favorite game which I'm now getting steady 144Hz with on the 3090 FTW3. Say a new game comes out which I want to play that is more demanding if I can lock in 60 FPS and stay right where I'm at now I can hold out and do the same thing all over again. Wait then Upgrade when the price is right. I want to be clear here I can afford the latest and greatest but it just doesn't make dollars and sense. Understand main stream is 5600x or 13600k and a 3060 Ti or 6600xt all are compromises to the best and for good reason because you can get reasonable performance and spend a lot less. Lower your expectations, It worked for me. Stop feeding the evil green red and blue teams until they come back to reasonable. Make a statement with your hard earned cash.
 
I just built a crazy nice rig for 1835 bucks. 13900kf (550), used 3080 (450), 32 gig DDR5 6000 (200), case (200), 1600 watt evga PSU (200), Air cooler (35) and Z690 Motherboard (200). Everything was new but the video card. Can pick up a new 3080 or 6900 for around 650 now. That’s a top tier Gaming PC. If you added in a 4090 your jumping up to 3,035 bucks. I’m doing a full custom loop here soon with a 4090, I’ll be close to 4k then. Still not 5k unless you added in a monitor. Right now I’m super happy with this build, plays what I’m playing now at 4k with no issues. When I’m back into AAA games I’ll need the 4090 , but I plan on that in another 2-3 months . Unless AMD brings it in the after market cards. Has it gotten a lot more expensive in the video card department yes. I really blame the bitcoin craze and covid. Think Nvidia thinks they can sell their stuff at a super high premium now. Think they are starting to see with the 4080 that , people are only willing to go so high. I really hope the AMD stuff does well and takes a bit of the market share. I honestly not super mad about the 4090 price . If it was 1400 I honestly wouldn’t have an issue at all as it’s an insanely fast card. One that I’ll probably be keeping a good 3 years . That being said the 3080 is more then enough for probably 90% of most gamers that’s play at 1080p or 1440p still.
 
Imo the problem is not that there's expensive stuff, however ridiculous I think the price is. Who cares what other people want to spend?

My beef is that the traditional mid- and low-range price bracket (<$400) products have been lackluster for so long and that the extreme elitism pervasive in the tech media and community has created the impression that one needs to spend those high amounts to get some very decent gaming. It is unfortunate that people who should know better have allowed themselves to become mere extensions of gpu maker's marketing departments in this regard.
 
I bet you will still buy Nvidia no matter what...
In a perfect world where I could afford to embody the phrase "having more money than sense". I would have lots of stock in AMD and still buy Nvidia products.

That said. I've always thought of the $2,500 to $3,000 tier as the high end for building it yourself. Any higher prices would cover the cost of labor for a boutique or otherwise name brand.
 
You can still build a "high-end" PC for under USD $3,000. Just for comparison's sake, the PC I built in 2008 was just about $4,000 for all the parts in 2008 money. I went all-out with an Intel Extreme CPU and SLI 8800 GTX cards in that system. That is $5,670 in today's money. Altogether, my current PC in my signature was a little over $3,000 accounting for new prices at the time.
 
Yes, it's just not worth the cost, IMO. It was one thing when a Titan/Thread ripper level PC cost $2500, but that's the price of a baseline high-end PC now. A video card that's not even flagship costs >$1000; a basic motherboard for new CPUs costs $180... It's absurd.

I've been a PC enthusiast now for 30+ years, since basically I was a preteen. This generation is the first I'm likely dropping out and not upgrading -- ironic, since I have more disposable income than I likely ever had previously. There's just a point where you look at the cost of a hobby, which is essentially a toy, and say "nope".
 
It seems kind of silly to buy an entire PC unless you're basically starting from scratch, but I doubt that applies to anyone here. The last time I got a brand new complete PC was 1997, a first-generation Intel Pentium. Prior to that I had been using a combo of hand-me-down Macintosh computers combined with hand-me-down 386 computers. I had to start from somewhere. But ever since then, every "new" PC I've built has involved bringing over many significant parts from my previous computer. I usually stagger the big purchases. CPU + Mobo (if necessary) + RAM (if necessary), and then 1-3 years later upgrade my GPU, then 1-3 years later upgrade my CPU, etc, again. Hard drives, case, etc, get upgraded when needed. Basically a continuous rolling-upgrade that almost never involves me having to spend more than half of what it would cost to build a new PC at any one time.
 
I understand what you are saying but there are plenty of deals to be had if you are not afraid to buy last gen and or buy used. 3070s are going for $500 cdn (around 375 usd) where I live and there are lots available. Cpus have come a long way in the last few years as well. You can easily pair that with a half decent cpu and walk all over any console for less than $1000. Sure the upper end is crazy but that doesnt mean you cant build a decent gaming rig for a reasonable price. I would say tue situation right now is better than when the 2000 series was released as long as you dont buy tue very top end and arnt afraid of buying some used parts. I skipped 2000 series because pricing was dumb. Im gonna do the same for 4000 series and maybe get one right before 5000 series drops, right when the hype of new and exciting leads to good deals in the used market.
 
i feel like i could build a really nice gaming pc for $1200. I don't see the value in a console, i hate gaming on a controller and i cant use it to surf the web, post on forums, etc fluently.

AMD 5600x $180
X570 MB $130
32gb of ram $140?
1tb nvme $120
Case + psu $200
6600xt $220 ?
 
i feel like i could build a really nice gaming pc for $1200. I don't see the value in a console, i hate gaming on a controller and i cant use it to surf the web, post on forums, etc fluently.

AMD 5600x $180
X570 MB $130
32gb of ram $140?
1tb nvme $120
Case + psu $200
6600xt $220 ?
That's a decent build. It's also using two year-old, outmoded components on a dead platform.
 
i feel like i could build a really nice gaming pc for $1200. I don't see the value in a console, i hate gaming on a controller and i cant use it to surf the web, post on forums, etc fluently.
Going by those parameters, you just need proper keyboard and mouse support for all consoles.
I feel you there. But as long as hardcore flight simulators or esoteric management and tactics games are being produced. The PC gaming market will be fine.
Am I incredibly bitter about all the money I have spent chasing the PC gaming dragon? Sure. Does the very concept of being shackled by a ten year old decrepit proprietary box of hardware fill me with extensional dread? Absolutely.

Will any of the games that I still play take advantage of any of my current or future hardware?
Nope.
 
I'm getting sick of the hardware becoming like a Soviet Union bread line.
Eh that's just nvidia GPUs, and well documented that it's their current strategy for the rest of the year. Should pick up in first quarter of next year.
 
I bought Mobo,Cpu,Gpu on forums here,

I bought Asus Tuf z690 wifi + Core i5 12600k, Picked up RTX 3080

my price breakdown
Asus Tuf z690 wifi+Core i5-12600k $325 H Forum
Evga RTX 3080 $525 H Forum
Samsung evo 980 2tb $180
Asus thor 850watt $140
Corsair 32gb ddr4 3600 cl16 $110

Paid $1280 I dont think i did to bad

For price of RTX 4080 i built whole pc :D

I buy what i can afford, i make my dollar work for me.
 
For $1000 after tax online you can get :

CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 7600X 4.7 GHz 6-Core Processor ($234.00 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Gigabyte B650 AORUS ELITE AX ATX AM5 Motherboard ($229.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Trident Z5 RGB 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR5-6000 CL36 Memory ($179.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 970 Evo Plus 1 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 3.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive ($97.08 @ Amazon)
Video Card: MSI MECH 2X OC Radeon RX 6650 XT 8 GB Video Card ($269.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1011.05
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2022-12-03 14:28 EST-0500

While all PS5 seem to be sold out online and 1TB Xbox X at half that price that come with an excellent controller and GamePass I imagine would be an excellent deal

Here it depend on what we mean by medium PC gaming, imagine you do not mind 1080p/60gps High setting and using DLSS/FSR when available instead of say 1440p/100fps/Very High settings, that cheaper 5600x build above his probably enough for a lot of things.

$699 on newegg give you a pre-built 12400F, GTX 1050TI, 480gb ssd, 8gbDDR 3200, 240 mm water cooler:
https://www.newegg.com/avgpc-quiet-...-_-4-_-9SIB5FPJP37985-_-9SIA08CJJ14069-_--_-2
Add a 8gb ram stick, a cheap 1gb ssd and it will play most of the steam Top 20s..

With how much talk and how much offer surround the high end maybe it is too popular rather than being too niche like it was in 1991, which make companies put too much emphasis on it.

Early's 90s our 20mhz 4x86, 4mb of ram no 3d video card and sound card to be added later not included IBM Ps/1 was over 3,300 $Cad with the 14inch CRT (almost $6000 in today Cad dollar), now a good gaming PC is cheaper than some high end smarthphone.
 
Last edited:
I would rather put more money towards my gpu then buying newest cpu, gpu are more important to gaming then cpu. gpu bottleneck is better then cpu bottleneck
 
I think it is important to know what it is you want out of a PC build and build for that - not the exteme high end unless that is what you need. I jumped into 4k fairly early with the 48" Samsung u6700 and js9000 in 2015 and have never looked back. For what I do, I have always craved/needed a lot of screen real estate (lots of open windows, Putty sessions, etc). I always had multiple monitors/systems to maximize on screen real estate. I love eye candy in games as I'm 51 now and have been an avid gamer since my first Commodore 64 so I'm constantly blown away by what can be done now.

This year i upgraded my main station to a 43" Samsung n90b that can do 144Hz and I'm loving it - finally a marriage of faster frame rate and 4k with great color that I've been waiting for. Due to this upgrade, I really want to be able to do 4k at 120Hz+ for the current titles and for that right now is the 4090 which I'm willing to pay the MSRP because it fulfills what I current want for my PC (lol - if I can find one and AMD's 7900XTX doesn't end up being enough for what I perceive I want/need). Unless I start getting bottle-necked performance-wise I will stick with this build until my needs change.

I think it also depends on if you have just 1 PC or if you have several that you use between yourself and family. Once you have multiple systems, extreme performance tends to take a back seat to ensuring that there is a steady flow of upgrades to keep your systems current.

I was reminded the other day by a friend of when I met some dude in the parking lot of McDonalds to purchase 32MB (not GB) of memory which at the time was going for about $40/MB and I got it for a steal at $25/MB. I think he was a friend of a friend who happened to work at Micron Tech at the time. I don't remember what year this was but I think it was in the late 90's. My how things have changed...!
 
The big youtube video card reviewers need to do frequent videos of $200-300 video cards running x or y latest game on both 5+ year old and 2-3 year old CPUs and critique the EXPERIENCE.

I'm moving back and forth between houses a lot right now and the place I'm working on doesn't have a good spot for a computer office yet so I have a lower value 5700G in a corner I use and play less demanding games on. I've got some fast RAM I got dirt cheap in it and have overclocked the IGPU some. As someone who just likes to play games it plays a LOT of games ok. Rocket League, Soulstone Survivors, Deep Rock Galactic, and even Dying Light. All these at 1080p. Sure, the settings aren't incredible but the frame rate is not "slide show." It's enjoyably playable. Around 1050 level performance depending on the game.

I also have a 6600 XT sitting here I'm trying to decide if I'm going to keep it or put it in a customer build.

The point is, even though my main rig has a 3080 Ti and OLED 4k screen etc... I can still have a darn good time on some hardware that reviewers won't even discuss anymore.

And don't get me started on the games. Back when they passed $60 for "complete" games I stopped buying new. Now I wait a year and buy all the barely-old AAA games for $10-$20 a piece. Sure beats the $75+ for the "deluxe enhanced definitive wallet fire edition" for ONE game. Just that one change covers my entire hardware budget.
 
I have been building systems for many years. Started off with built systems. Then I figured out how to build one. Yes I have newer hardware but not the newest stuff. I build for a few reasons. My daughter is a gamer and she has a nice rig with 9th gen Intel CPU and a 2080ti Kingpin GPU. Works great for her 1440p panel. Mine is 10th gen CPU With a 3080 12 gig GPU. Wifes is a 11th gen CPU with a 2080ti. Then I have 3 other rigs with multi gpu's as folding rigs. So to say Higher end gaming computers are a niche market is not the case. People use their computers for other things than gaming. My wifes computer is mainly used as a Facebook rig. She does not notice the folding program in thw background.
 
I get a CPU that will last 5 years or so.
I used to upgrade a high end GPU every 2 years but since the 30xx series have moved to every 4 years, their loss.
I may move to lower spec as well if prices dont stabilise in our favour. I have no objection to gaming a few years behind the curve, there are plenty of games I havent played yet.
And they cost a boat load less a year or more later so its a proper win :)

Either make it fair for us or a lot of interest in PC gaming at launch times will be lost with major knock on effect.
They are shooting themselves in the foot.
 
I get a CPU that will last 5 years or so.
I used to upgrade a high end GPU every 2 years but since the 30xx series have moved to every 4 years, their loss.
I may move to lower spec as well if prices dont stabilise in our favour. I have no objection to gaming a few years behind the curve, there are plenty of games I havent played yet.
And they cost a boat load less a year or more later so its a proper win :)

Either make it fair for us or a lot of interest in PC gaming at launch times will be lost with major knock on effect.
They are shooting themselves in the foot.
I am with you on this, I bought RTX 3080 and i5 12600k i figre that mid-high range, I spent 325 on tuf z690+i5 12600k and $525 on RTX 3080. so i figure the price of RTX 4080 built my whole pc lol
 
all you have to do with pc gaming anymore is just play a 1080p and you can pretty much get a good computer to run high settings without a lot of money.

my PC building and/or upgrading was always, get the newest/best video card I can afford. everything doesn't really matter that much anymore. Hell I lived off a circa 2009 I7/xeon from 2009 to 2018. you could game just fine on a 2xxx AMD or something with a decent graphics card.

plus there is so much used hardware out there you can get used parts and build a machine and upgrade it over time anyway.
 
To me, the advent of forced crossplay with consoles and heavy aim assist for controller players feels like the beginning of the end of high end pc gaming.

The financial incentives are aligned to ensure this trend continues.

It's infuriating, but making console plebs feel good is a winning business model.
 
I really do think that a lot of us are looking at this from the wrong perspective. Whether about the scene or ourselves.
High end PC gaming isn't about being sensible. It's about gaming with the least compromise. Low end will always be about gaming with the most compromise. And of course mid range will always be somewhere in between.
 
There's so many games available for PC that all you have to do is buy a used GPU for cheap and play games that are four years or older.

Then in four years buy another used GPU and play today's current games that you can buy for $10 (that cost $60 now). That's what I've been doing, I have over 100 games in my Steam account and I haven't beat half of them so there's no point in buying a $1,000 GPU right now and a brand new $60 AAA game. I bought GTA V for I think $13 years after it came out on PC, remember how they would never drop the price until recently (like two years ago or so).

Also, look into indie games like Disco Elysium or RTS games that aren't too demanding.

Sure that are people who can afford $2,000 + to spend on a gaming PC but the problem is with regular folks who buy it anyways but really shouldn't due to their income.

It's the same thing with cars, I want to get a Ford Bronco but people keep paying $10,000 to $80,000 over sticker for the different trims because they need it now, they have zero patience. I still want to get one in 2 or 3 years when the demand goes down. In 5 years Ford might even put cash on the hood.
 
I didn’t read all the responses. Just being honest.

However, my answer is: no.

The market will always correct itself. If people stop paying money, they will incentivize in order to make more money. Which is another way of saying the prices will change to get buyers or product will be made to target them.
 
To me, the advent of forced crossplay with consoles and heavy aim assist for controller players feels like the beginning of the end of high end pc gaming.

The financial incentives are aligned to ensure this trend continues.

It's infuriating, but making console plebs feel good is a winning business model.
Multiplayer shooters are a small fraction of the gaming market, especially on PC. It's not the genre that will make or break the PC gaming market.
 
Multiplayer shooters are a small fraction of the gaming market, especially on PC. It's not the genre that will make or break the PC gaming market.
It's the only thing that compels me to build my system at the level I build it. Since 1995
 
all you have to do with pc gaming anymore is just play a 1080p and you can pretty much get a good computer to run high settings without a lot of money.

my PC building and/or upgrading was always, get the newest/best video card I can afford. everything doesn't really matter that much anymore. Hell I lived off a circa 2009 I7/xeon from 2009 to 2018. you could game just fine on a 2xxx AMD or something with a decent graphics card.

plus there is so much used hardware out there you can get used parts and build a machine and upgrade it over time anyway.


I survived with an FX-4100 OC'ed to 4.4 GHZ between 2010 and 2018, and to be honest, it can still run many a game decently, just with moderate settings and 1080 resolution.

I wouldn't try it with today's latest and greatest games, but since it's now been relegated to being a work PC, I'm simply going to let it enjoy its "retirement" as the gamer.

That system got replaced with a Ryzen 5 2600X with a Radeon RX 580, and it ran everything I wanted it to run at 1080 beautifully.

Now that I have a Ryzen 9 5900X in combination with a Radeon 6650XT, I may just bite the bullet and do the monitor upgrade, though.

Still, it goes to show that Bigbacon's statement is 100% valid, that as long as you're being realistic, you can still enjoy good quality gaming on older systems.
 
It's the only thing that compels me to build my system at the level I build it. Since 1995
For me it's single player experiences like NASCAR Racing 4 (2001 build), Crysis (2007 build), The Witcher 3 (2014 build), and ray tracing in general (2019 build).
 
Most of my main gaming rigs have been in excess of $5,000 for well beyond a decade now. This market has existed for more than 25 years now. The difference is where the money gets spent. People like me used to buy HEDT CPU's that at one time reached prices of $2,000. Motherboards for those were still upwards of $700+. My Skulltrail rig was staggeringly expensive even by today's standards. The Intel D5400XS was $550 or more retail and the QX9775 CPU's were $1,550 each. Add to that overpriced FB-DIMMs and that setup was easily as expensive as anything you would likely buy today. That's $3,100 for CPU's, $400 for 4x FB-DIMMs and almost $600 for the motherboard. To get something more expensive that wasn't an OEM or boutique build you would have had to have bought a Threadripper 3990WX a nice board and a decent amount of RAM.

Any of Intel's Extreme Edition or AMD's FX-51 and FX-53 CPU's were around $1,000+ for a long time. This goes back to the Pentium 4 days. People who used to run HEDT stuff almost exclusively have been paying $1,000+ for CPU's since their inception if you bought the top of the stack like I usually did. Intel's current CPU's aren't that expensive. Sure, motherboards were generally cheaper than they are today, but in the HEDT market they've been well over $500 for quite some time.

Even GPU's aren't that much more expensive than they used to be on the high end. Things sound crazy when thinking about even the MSRP of the RTX 3090's. However, we used to buy GPU's in pairs. I paid around $1,600 for my RTX 3090. I paid nearly $1,300 each for my Titan X's and ran them in SLI. Also keep in mind that SSD's used to be insanely expensive. My Intel SSD 750 1.2TB AIC was $600 when it was new. Today you can get a budget 1TB NVMe Inland drive from Microcenter that will run circles around it. Sure, DDR5 RAM is kind of expensive now but at one time so was every other new memory technology. Premium computer cases from Lian Li and other companies used to be $300+. AIO's and even air coolers are more expensive now, but memory, storage, and cases are generally cheaper. Keyboards and mice are more expensive, and while monitors can be many thousands of dollars, solid gaming monitors are better than ever and pretty cheap now. So while motherboards and GPU's seem super expensive today, remember most everything else is quite a bit cheaper.

Of course, if you adjust for inflation its the same thing. Intel's CPU's used to be much more expensive than they are now. The Pentium 166MHz CPU used to cost $630 when it was at the top of the stack. Intel's Pentium Pro 200MHz CPU with 512k cache was $1,530. That was in 1996. In 2022 money, the Pentium 166 cost $1,196.61 and the Pentium Pro 200MHz with 512k cache cost $2,906.04. Meanwhile a Cirrus Logic 1 MB VLB Video Card was around $129.99 at the time it came out. Case fans were $10-$15, etc.

TLDR:
  • The $5,000+ PC market has existed for a lot longer than people think.
  • At the highest end you are buying a single GPU which costs more than they ever have, but we aren't buying them in pairs leading to an overall reduced cost.
  • Since the HEDT market is effectively dead, CPU costs are generally much lower than they used to be. Extreme Editions and FX series chips were over $1,000. Intel's 9980XE was almost $2,000 at one point. The 13900K is $650.
  • HEDT motherboards and even premium "mainstream" market segment boards have been beyond the $500 market for years. The GIGABYTE Z170 Gaming G1 was almost $500. GIGABYTE's X58A UD9 was nearly $700 back in 2010. The prices were are seeing now may be higher on average, but these ridiculously expensive options have existed for more than a decade now. Again, your motherboard and CPU combo still probably costs about the same as it used to on the higher end. The difference is now you buy a more expensive motherboard and a cheaper CPU.
  • We pay more for certain components like keyboards, mice, AIO's, fans and air coolers, but pay a lot less for storage and displays. Though the price range on displays is still very broad.
  • Adjusting for inflation, CPU's used to be staggeringly expensive making up the bulk of the system cost like ultra-high end GPU's and motherboards do today.
 
Looking at the line and time it took to sales, 4090, it is surprisingly not niche enough, to the point that generation of generation GPU tiers are going up and up.

One would have thought that a $400 PS5 with keyboard-mouse HDMI 2.1 support could have made spending more than the double of that on that PC for games would have become niche, but it does not seem to have been the case, has the PS5 was hard to find, Xbox-PS5 split and the exclusive game make things a bit fussy and the competitive Steam-Epyc-Gog marketplace and people accumulated giant game library that still work can create good incentive.

And console gaming is already back often at 30-40fps anyway has expected that it could because we became obsessed with high-res.

Cyberpunk sales were a bit high opening in that regard, just how much worldwide mainstream high end pc gaming became that a game like that sold like that.
 
Its becoming too goddamn expensive, which in tern makes it niche.

$2000 for a graphics card is absurd!
 
What are we considering "mid to high" range?
This is the important consideration. IMHO mid is 1440p60 and high is 4k60.

We've just been able to hit 4k60 on max settings with almost every game with the 6800XT/6900XT/3080/3090 in the last couple years. In my mind the newest generation of GPUs, the 7000-series and 4080/4090, is not high end, it is beyond high end. They're effectively professional-grade cards for people who use their PCs to do work, not just play games. That's why you see them at such high prices. I didn't pay for my 3090s, my lab did. Nvidia simply realized there are enough gamers with this kind of disposable income that they could sell $1,000+ GPUs that aren't Quadros. The current generation of GPUs is not niche high end, it is a new niche entirely for consumer-grade hardware.

I think mid-range 1440p60 gaming is as accessible as ever: $150-200 for a 5600X and $350 for a 6700XT or 3060 Ti and you're set. This is close to what I paid for an i5-4670K and GTX 970 almost a decade ago, which could do 1080p60 at max settings for just about every game (which the GTX 700-series could not do).

In a sense, it took about a decade to go from 1080p to 1440p gaming as the mid-range, and you're seeing this transition from 1440p to 4k gaming happening right now. You can already get used 6900XTs/3080s for $500-600. Not sure what 'mid range' GPUs this generation will cost, but I would not be surprised if they can do 4k60 for $500-600, which the previous gen GPUs at that price point could not do.
 
Its becoming too goddamn expensive, which in tern makes it niche.

$2000 for a graphics card is absurd!
Again, you have to think of these as professional-grade GPUs they're making available to consumers. For an engineer or scientist or whatever making $100+/hr, the time a 4090 saves that worker compared to a 3090 in one month more than pays for the cost of the card.
 
Back
Top