RTX 3090 Ti graphics card slashed by $1,000 below the MSRP in the US
In a blatant indication that high-end GPU prices are still falling quickly, EVGA has now dropped the cost of its base RTX 3090 Ti graphics card to $1,000 below the MSRP in the US. Yes, a sharp-eyed Twitter user noticed that the FTW3 Gaming model(opens in a new tab), with a recommended price of $2,150, is now $1,150 at the card manufacturer’s website, making it pretty much half-price. With a price tag of $1,200 and a little faster boost speed, the FTW3 Ultra Gaming model is a reasonable upgrade should the standard FTW3 graphics card go out of stock.
The RTX 3090 Ti’s original MSRP was $2,000 (£1,879, AU$2,499), but due to improved cooling systems that enable the GPU to operate a little faster, EVGA charged a little more for its FTW3 variants. In order to put this price into context with the rest of the range, consider that the 3090 Ti costs only $50 more than the current EVGA RTX 3080 Ti, making it a no-brainer for anyone looking for a top-tier Ampere graphics card (assuming their PC case, thermals, and PSU can cope with the 3090 Ti, of course).
As you may remember, Nvidia just officially lowered the price of the RTX 3090 Ti to $1,500 (along with price reductions for other top-tier Ampere graphics cards), but the flagship GPU now seems to be falling rapidly from even that lowered level. For instance, the Zotac 3090 Ti is now available at Newegg for $1,240, while EVGA’s price is over $100 less. It’s unquestionably a significant price cut by EVGA, and if the next-generation Lovelace GPUs are indeed close to going on sale right now, the RTX 4090 is expected to be the first to do so. As a result, it makes sense to start with the top-end RTX 3090 and 3090 Ti, as these will quickly lose their allure as the Lovelace release date approaches.
However, when Lovelace launches, rumors claim that the RTX 4070 may be on par with the 3090 Ti (or perhaps slightly quicker)—but as that model is anticipated to be the most popular of the higher-end Lovelace products, it may be difficult to find it for MSRP (or even buy it at all, perhaps, initially). Especially if the 4070 gives the incredible price-to-performance value that rumors seem to suggest.
Purchasing the RTX 3090 Ti when it becomes even more affordable may not be a bad idea after all, at least for those who lack the patience to wait to see how the Lovelace rollout and stock situation play out. Another rumor claims that the RTX 4070 may not launch this year. Although we still suggest waiting, we can understand individuals who want to take the plunge right away.