Guide

Summer 2024 – buy a new graphics card now or wait?

6.7.2024

Translation: Eva Francis

New graphics cards could be launched before the end of the year. That begs the question: buy one now or wait? As so often, it depends.

The current generation of graphics cards is slowly coming to an end. It’s more than likely that new GPUs will be presented soon. It looks like Nvidia will be the first, but probably not until the end of the year and only in the high-end sector. Other sources claim the new cards will be presented in 2024, but not released until spring 2025. The situation with AMD and Intel is also uncertain. According to their roadmap, the first AMD models will be launched in 2024. However, recent reports suggest they’ll only be presented at CES in January 2025. On top of that, the next generation is said to come without a high-end version and only cater for the mid-range and entry-level sector. Intel will probably not yet enter the high-end sector with the Battlemage series either.

So whether you’re better off buying a card now or waiting depends on which performance segment you’re going for. Let’s take a closer look at things.

Worth the wait: high-end graphics cards

No high-end GPUs are expected from AMD or Intel, which leaves only Nvidia. It isn’t yet clear which model the chip giant will launch first, but it’s likely to be either the RTX 5080 or RTX 5090. One of the two might be released this year and the other early next year. In other words, it’s likely to be another four to six months before the release.

The successor to the RTX 4090 is likely to be unrivalled.
Source: Kevin Hofer

As the current generation has reached the end of its life cycle – a graphics card cycle usually lasts around two years – I’d wait for the new cards. In the last six months, the price of the current top models RTX 4080 and RTX 4090 has hardly changed. Category Business Manager Luca Franziscus doesn’t expect any major price drops until the end of the year. This applies to all graphics cards. You’ll therefore hardly find a top model of the current generation – which also includes the Radeon RX 7900 XTX – at a bargain price. The RTX 5080 and RTX 5090 are expected to cost as much as their predecessors.

In terms of performance, we don’t know enough yet. Whether the RTX 5090 will boast a similar performance leap as the RTX 4090 to the RTX 3090 remains to be seen. Nvidia wouldn’t even have to offer that much more performance compared to the previous generation, as the RTX 5090 would probably only be competing with its predecessor in the high-end sector. Nevertheless, it seems reasonable to assume there will be a performance boost. After all, how else would anyone who owns an RTX 3080 be convinced to switch to an RTX 5080? At launch, the price per frame of the RTX 4080 was almost identical to that of the RTX 3080. Nvidia will have to offer more with the 50 series. But even if they don’t, it’s worth waiting due to the current price situation.

Sometimes worth the wait: mid-range graphics cards

It could also make sense to wait in the mid-range sector. At least if you want an AMD card. They’ll probably be launched earlier than those from Nvidia. And they’re supposed to offer better value for money than the current generation. The top model is said to boast similar performance to the RX 7900 XT, but be significantly cheaper. Obvisously, you don’t want to buy a new graphics card now if a new, perhaps even more powerful one will be available in six months’ time for 200 francs / euros less. But if you have an older GPU and want to game the upcoming AAA games, you might need an upgrade now.

AMD’s upcoming mid-range products are expected to offer similar performance to an RX 7900 XT.
Source: Shutterstock / Den Rozhnovsky

If you can, I’d recommend waiting until at least autumn or winter. That’s when there may be some good deals on existing cards. After all, all manufacturers have to sell off their stocks before they put the new cards on sale.

There isn’t much information on Nvidia’s mid-range cards yet. This suggests they won’t be released for another while. The chip giant’s release intervals have been getting longer and longer. The RTX 4060 was only launched eight months after the RTX 4090 – in April 2023. For the RTX-20 series, the release interval was only four months; for the RTX-30 series, it was five.

However, should AMD launch its cards at the beginning of 2025, Nvidia might prepone its launch, too. But that’s not certain. If you’re after an RTX 5060, you may have to wait almost another year.

Not worth the wait: entry-level graphics cards

Traditionally, entry-level cards, i.e. those under 400 francs / euros, are the last to be introduced. Based on earlier releases, I wouldn’t expect new models for at least a year. Only Intel’s Battlemage could shake up the market earlier, but that’s only a guess.

Intel’s likely to shake up the entry-level sector with the Alchemist successor Battlemage.
Source: Kevin Hofer

If your current entry-level card isn’t good enough right now, you don’t need to wait. Go ahead and buy one of the current generation. Prices aren’t likely to change much in the coming months.

What’s next?

The graphics card market has barely changed in recent months. All models of the current generation have been released, prices haven’t changed much and probably won’t in the future. On the one hand, that’s a good thing, as it means you won’t find the same card much cheaper a month after you buy it. On the other hand, it’s annoying because the (overly) expensive cards won’t drop back to pre-pandemic price levels.

At least the market’s healthier today. Before the launch of the RTX 40 and Radeon 7000 series, the market was still oversaturated with cards from the previous generation. This was due to the boom during the lockdowns and the collapse of crypto mining. If Nvidia and AMD had aggressively lowered their prices back then, they’d never have been able to sell off the old models.

There’s no sign of oversaturation today. After all, Nvidia easily sold off the remaining RTX 4070 Ti units before and after the RTX 4070 Ti Super was released. I still doubt that the new generation will be cheaper as a result. But there may be further price reductions after it’s launched.

Header image: Shutterstock / MEzairi

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Kevin Hofer

Senior Editor

kevin.hofer@digitecgalaxus.ch

From big data to big brother, Cyborgs to Sci-Fi. All aspects of technology and society fascinate me.

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