cryptocurrency Archives - Logical Increments Blog

PC Parts are Headed in the Wrong Direction

Fig. 1: Our prediction of the only graphics card nVidia will release in the year 2026 (projected MSRP: $20,000)

Greetings. This article was painful to write. Every section hurt, and every section gets progressively more painful. But the truth can hurt, so read on.

The consumer PC world is headed down a bad path:

There is a major focus by PC part manufacturers to produce extremely expensive and overpowered products, with the mid-tiers and the low-end being neglected. There might be no annihilation and havoc in the personal computer sector immediately, but most consumers are unhappy. If things continue as they are, normal PC buyers may choose to opt out, shrinking the market significantly. With fewer and fewer customers in the long-term, some component manufacturers may find themselves facing their own end-of-life.

Come walk with me, friendly reader, down memory lane, and I will show you how we ended up here… and where we might be going next.

The ‘Fair Winds Have Come’ Pre-Update

(Sailboat photo by Robbie Sproule)

Can you feel it? The change for PC builders, not very subtle, happening even as I type these words?

The clouds have lifted. The sun is shining. The news is good. It is as follows:

The Happy Days GPU Update

At last! All modern GPUs are available for purchase, new, for MSRP. No more crying as you pay 2x or 3x the recommended price for a card. No more heartbreak as you buy a used card that has been sitting in a crypto farm for 2 years. No more sad checking on crypto prices, hoping and praying for a crash. No, friends, that time is over!

Oh, how sweet it is, to have everything in-stock and for a normal price. With that, a large number of changes have hit the charts, so let us take a look.

PC Hardware Supply vs. Demand in 2021 and Beyond

Let’s be fair: it would be more than a little presumptuous if we expected or even demanded improvements to the current hardware shortages. Even after a monumental vaccine rollout procedure in many countries, the pandemic is still having a huge global effect, and we as builders need to have patience.

At this point, we are now deep into the knock-on impact of slowdowns at the lowest and earliest stages of manufacturing affecting every aspect of the assembly and distribution pipeline.

But even after all these caveats and disclaimers, people remain curious: which parts are being affected the most, what are the ongoing problems, and when might things get back to normal? Well, those are the exact topics we intend to cover in this post, part by part!

Everything You Wanted to Know about Cryptocurrency and PC Hardware in 2021 But Were Too Afraid to Ask

Ever wondered what the cryptocurrency fuss is all about? Why are some PC enthusiasts so upset about cryptocurrency? And why are some other PC enthusiasts so happy with cryptocurrency?

Let us take a thorough look at this tantalizing love/hate relationship, then consider what companies are doing to address the situation, and finally present a ‘new and improved’^TM prediction about when the graphics card market will improve.

When Will the Availability Woes of the 2021 PC Buyer Cease?

As if a deadly pandemic, rising sea levels, AND a botched Cyberpunk 2077 launch are not enough, today’s gaming-PC buyers are faced with an additional unpleasant situation: Product unavailability! When will it end?!

Oh, and… Greetings.

GPU Pricing Insanity: What Will Logical Increments Do?

After some very brief relief around the 2017 holidays, graphics card prices continue on the path of going absolutely insane.

We had a cryptocoin-induced inflation back in late 2013, but it was somewhat mild, and only lasted a couple of months. We had a second inflation in 2017, where the price hikes were higher, and lasted more than half a year. When this ended in December 2017, I thought: “Thank goodness that is over. Nothing could have been as bad as that!”

I was so naive, so wrong.

In short, there is not much we can do about graphics cards prices other than continue to recommend the best graphics cards at each price point. However, we want to be realistic about how bad the situation has gotten.

2018 Graphics Cards Pricing Update: Current Prices vs. Original Retail Price

A little under 6 months ago, I wrote an article about the prices and stock shortage of graphics cards and the causes of that increase. Today, I take a look at what has been done by the manufacturers and retailers in this time, as well as what still needs to be done.

GPU Pricing and Supply Shortage (Damn Cryptocurrency Miners!)

The goal of Logical Increments is to simplify the research process behind building the best PC for your budget. However, many commenters have pointed out that recently, graphics card prices have skyrocketed beyond their normal sticker price, and many models have gone completely out of stock.

What is causing the problem? What to do if you’re looking for a new GPU right now? Let’s discuss.

High-end AMD Graphics Cards Return to the US Guide

After months away, some old friends have returned to the US parts guide.

Prices of AMD graphics cards have been on a rollercoaster ride in recent months. The cryptocurrency craze in the US had caused a spike in demand for high-end video cards used to mine Bitcoins, Dogecoins, and the like, especially among AMD cards.

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