AMD abandoned the UK market during the pandemic. They didn't even sell the reference models at rrp here. Nvidia did. I know
UK inflation is irrelevant. They are made in Asia where all the costs have gone down. Lots of other parts and items like phones and tvs have gone down. They use the same factories and nodes.
Don't get swayed by the tech industry billion usd marketing budgets.
This is how Nvidia tried the crap with doubling prices with the first Titan and then the same with Turing and speople on forums defended it due to "costs". Because rumour sites released some nonsense "leak" blaming 28nm costs.
Yet their margins went up a lot. So it's all mostly pr stuff because they know they have a captive market.
The costs on these have gone down. I mean really, they have.
Yes their margins have gone up. Have you wondered why? let me tell you.
I read a market analysis on Polaris. They almost made it to 30% market share. Which was an all time high, since they were ATI. The problem? they were not making any money. Sure, they were bringing users onboard and gaining numbers, but numbers don't pay the bills unless they equate to money. And at the prices Polaris launched? they just were not making any profit.
AMD as a company has changed a lot since then. Ryzen and so on has transformed them. So, they are no longer desperate. You know? which is fair enough. They no longer have to sell cheap erse CPUs where they have to leave cores in for people to unlock, and barely scrape by. Because you know? it is a business afterall.
YES ! they have increased their profit margin. HOWEVER, they have not increased it as much as Nvidia, and they are still way cheaper £ per perf than Nvidia. The reason? Nvidia have finally found an alternative market in which to sell their GPUs, so they truly don't give a flying about any one who plays games any more. In gaming? Nvidia are gone. Dead, over, finished. They are making so much money out of AI that they would be stupid as a working business to focus anywhere else. Let's not forget Fermi nearly broke them. Now? they are cutting their own AIB's throats selling FE which they started doing on Fermi because they had to. Now? you either brown nose them and suck up and take one in the jacksie to sell their GPUs or you do what EVGA did and decline.
That is all just how it is. Lisa Su made it quite clear that if they were going to bother making GPUs any more? that it needed to be profitable, because before it just wasn't. At all. And when you are a power house like AMD now are? that doesn't look good. Not for you or your share holders.
I did not defend Turing. What I said at that time my friend was this. "Turing is just Pascal with RT crap bolted on that I don't want and am not interested in". I also said "If you think prices are not going to soar because of this you are mad. Kepler was the polar opposite, and returned back to tiny dies that clock balls. GAMING GPUs".
I was right. Large monolithic dies = expensive. The thing is? even though the slow ones at the back thought they were doing it all for us as gamers and wow RT and all that? they WERE NOT. For over a decade Nvidia needed a new way to market and sell their GPUs. They tried over and over to invent silly things, ventured into many other markets, tried to buy ARM and so on. They failed. Now? they have found that direction and it sure AF is not gaming. To them? we are now a boil on their backside.
Look dude. No one NEEDS a 4090. Lots of people panic bought them at launch because of the way things had been. Now? I can go anywhere and get one.
All gamers need is a half decent GPU that can run all of their games. You know? kinda like the 7700XT and 7800XT. That don't cost a fortune* and can run games at a fair clip**
* I have shown you how they both cost less and significantly less than Maxwell with inflation added.
** anything over 60 FPS at max settings is more than good enough, unless you load up on energy drinks, are 16 and play Esports titles. In which case you will drop settings in order to feed your taurine addiction.
It will not change, and depending on how you look at it it will not get "better". Because of a simple fact. When something is popular and sells in vast numbers? it costs more money. End of. Why? I never quite understood. I mean, you would think that less sales = higher prices? I know, daft of me to say but there you go. Unfortunately like any other thing in life the more things sell the higher the prices go. Sure, a lot of PC part prices have collapsed. But GPUs have not. And, the reason for that? since the consoles went X86 PC gaming is the most popular it has been in about 15 years. And that means more sales = higher prices as I said above.
And that is just how it is. People saying they think this card should be that card and god knows what else? have lost touch with how it actually is and what is actually going on. It's called being spoiled. "Waaah, the 7800XT is actually a 7700XT!". Really? so you were the guy who should have named them?
IDK man. People need to get a grip. It is what it is.