Many graphics cards have gotten more expensive

Last week a range of products had been exempt from tariffs – thanks to the ongoing trade war between the United States and China – has lost this status, and therefore in 2021 will be more expensive. Among these products are graphics cards and motherboards.

As the New York Times reported last week, “Mr. Trump began imposing tariffs on more than $ 360 billion in Chinese goods in 2018, prompting thousands of companies to ask the administration for temporary waivers excluding them from levies.

These waivers are now being made, and hardware manufacturers are among those who have already raised their prices to reflect tariffs. Although this will affect most of the companies in this part of the industry, since many components and products originate from China, ASUS is the only one to come out so far and issue a statement explaining the increases, saying:

2021 ASUS Component MSRP Price Update. This update applies to graphics cards and motherboards * We have an announcement regarding the MSRP price changes that will take effect in early 2021 for our award-winning series of graphics cards and motherboards. Our new MSRP reflects the increased cost of components. operating costs, logistics activities and maintenance of import tariffs. We have worked closely with our supply and logistics partners to minimize price increases. ASUS greatly appreciates your continued activity and support as we navigate this period of unprecedented market change. * additional models may see an increase as we move into the first trimester.

So what kind of price increase are we considering? People who pay much more attention to this stuff than me have already found examples increasingly expensive cards, like the ASUS RTX 3090 going from $ 1,799 to $ 1,979. The size of the tariffs themselves are “Either an extra 7.5% or 25%, depending on their product,” but as you can see from that RTX 3090 price, companies don’t pass the entire cost on to consumers, they will seek to cut costs / absorb part of the blow themselves.

PC hardware costs were already getting out of hand thanks to bitcoin miners, supply shortages and scalpers. Having anything else to make things even more expensive sucks!