TL;DR: Is a depressingly familiar scenario set to return? Following the recent jump in cryptocurrency prices, particularly Bitcoin'south, graphics cards are expected to get fifty-fifty more scarce as miners catch them in bulk for their rigs. The state of affairs is exacerbating the current supply bug experienced by the RTX 3000 and Radeon RX 6000 serial.

Afterward hitting its previous record of $nineteen,700 in late 2022, Bitcoin dropped to a depression of $3,200 a year later. It stagnated between $7,000 and $9,000 for a long time, simply since December, its price has gone through the roof, passing $20,000 final month and breaking the $30K barrier recently.

Ethereum has experienced a similar resurgence—the crypto'due south toll has quadrupled in the terminal year to around $ane,000.

Crypto prices via coinmarketcap

The more valuable a cryptocurrency, the more than profit a miner can make each 24-hour interval. And with the new generation of graphics cards offering more ability at lower price points than ever earlier, people can pause even in fewer days. Tom's Hardware notes that the $399 RTX 3060 Ti volition accept paid for itself subsequently eighty days of mining.

History does appear to be repeating. As Bitcoin and Ethereum soared in 2022, the price of graphics cards—those in stock—skyrocketed as demand far outweighed supply. Consumer anger led to Nvidia requesting that retailers prioritize gamers over miners. Eventually, a slumping crypto market place saw GPU prices finally return to normal. When the crypto crash came, Nvidia's share price plummeted, and last year it faced a lawsuit alleging that the company reported $one billion in crypto acquirement equally gaming revenue.

What'southward unique this time around is that we've been experiencing a shortage of the latest graphics cards since their release. Nvidia has repeatedly said that its GPU supply bug will last until at least the cease of January, and with crypto prices standing to rise, it could be a while before gamers tin can upgrade their PCs.

Masthead credit: Tech4Gamers