GPU prices in August 2026: curves are skyrocketing, so is the bill

We thought we had hit rock bottom in May-June. The RTX 5080s were starting to be found under 1,100€ in Europe, and some RTX 5060 Ti 8GB were even dropping below 300€. The low point was there, and quite a few people thought it was the right time to buy.

Except not. Since the end of July, all price curves are heading upwards . And not gently. On some models, we're talking about +45% compared to the low point. We pulled out the DropReference graphs to show you exactly what's happening, region by region, model by model.

Spoiler: it's not pretty.

Let's start with the RTX 5080. As a reminder, NVIDIA launched it at $999 MSRP in January. In Europe, the initial prices were around €1,100-1,200 with VAT and import margins. Not cheap, but reasonable for a high-end card.

And then May-June arrived. Stocks have slightly replenished, gaming demand has decreased in the off-season, and prices have hit their low point. The Palit GAMINGPRO dropped to 1 089€ , the PNY OC at 1 129 € Almost reasonable prices.

But look at what has happened since:

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The Gigabyte WINDFORCE OC has gone from its minimum of 1,190€ to 1,331€ today (+11.8%) . The PNY OC, same: minimum 1,129 €, now 1 299 € (+15.1 %) And the orange curve (average price) does not lie — it has been soaring since the end of July.

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Same table for the other models. The Palit GAMINGPRO displays 1 269€ (+16.5%) compared to its lowest. The Gigabyte GAMING OC is the most expensive of the batch at 1 387€ , with a curve that literally explodes in the last few days — the spike at the end of July is the most violent we have seen since the launch.

Concretely, if you bought in May-June, you had good timing. If you waited until August... it stings.

In the United States, the situation is even more tense. We went from MSRP $999 at real prices that have nothing to do with each other.

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The PNY RTX 5080 ARGB OC displays 1 390 $ (+20.1 %) above its historical minimum of $1,157. The curve is clear: after a relative stability between March and May around $1,250-1,350, everything explodes at the end of July. The average price hits $1,600 in the last days.

And the MSI SUPRIM SOC? 1,800$ . Almost double the MSRP. Well, it's a premium model, but still. Even it went up +9% in the last few weeks, when it was already expensive.

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On the UK side, the same observation. The Gigabyte WINDFORCE OC is running at 1,215 pounds (+12.8%) and the PNY OC at 1,159 books (+10.5%) The pattern is universal: hollow in May-June, surge in July-August.

Where it really hurts is on the RTX 5060 Ti 8GB. This card is supposed to be the affordable option of the Blackwell generation. NVIDIA positioned it around €379 in Europe. But the reality of the market in August 2026 is something else.

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The ASUS Dual RTX 5060 Ti 8GB has gone from a minimum of 297€ to 375€ today — that's +26.3% Almost €80 more than the low point reached this summer. But the record is the MSI VENTUS 2X OC PLUS: minimum at 282 €, current price 409 €. That's +45% Forty-five percent increase. On a mid-range card.

The MSI curve is indeed edifying. In May, you could have grabbed it for less than 290€. Today, it's 410€. The upward slope since June is the steepest we observe across the entire RTX 50 range.

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The Gigabyte EAGLE OC follow the same path: 370€ (+13.5%) for the black, 388 € (+8.1 %) for the white ICE. The white version had an average historical price of €475 - we are dangerously close to it.

A RTX 5060 Ti 8 GB for €400+ in August 2026. Welcome to the new normal.

It's no coincidence that all the curves are taking off at the same time. Several factors are accumulating, and none seem to want to calm down.

We have already discussed this in our article on the suspended RTX 50 SUPER: a 3GB GDDR7 module costs around $70 each from suppliers. For an RTX 5080 with 16GB, that's over $370 just in video memory. This is the first time that a single component represents so much in the manufacturing cost of a consumer GPU. And GDDR7 manufacturers (Samsung, SK Hynix, Micron) have no interest in lowering their prices - AI demand absorbs everything they produce.

NVIDIA has launched no new gaming card this year . No RTX 50 SUPER, no RTX 60. It's a first in almost 30 years. Result: zero competitive pressure on existing card prices. Why would a reseller lower its prices when it knows that nothing new is coming before 2027 at best?

The US-China trade war has put additional customs duties on electronic components in 2026. This directly impacts the assembled cards in Asia — that is to say, all of them. Even the cards sold in Europe are feeling the repercussions, because supply chains are global.

NVIDIA datacenters are constantly out of stock of H200 and B200. When computing chips are scarce, foundries prioritize pro orders (huge margins) over gaming. Less wafers for gaming = fewer cards = prices going up.

And the DRAM memory crisis affecting DDR5 as well doesn't help. The semiconductor sector is under pressure. The DRAM cartel (Samsung, SK Hynix, Micron) controls 95% of global production and has no intention of lowering prices.

The million-dollar question. And the answer really depends on your situation.

If you need a GPU now (yours is dead, you build a PC, you're tired of playing in 1080p low), buy. Waiting for "it to drop" is a risky bet when all the curves are pointing upwards. The current trend has no reason to reverse before the end of 2026 at the earliest.

If you can wait until 2027 , it's probably smarter. NVIDIA should launch the RTX 60 (Rubin) and possibly the RTX 50 SUPER at that time. More supply = price pressure. But it's in 6+ months, and no one can guarantee that prices will drop back to what we saw in May.

The clever compromise : look at AMD. The RX 9070 XT remains a solid alternative around 650-700€ with 16GB of VRAM. It has suffered less from price increases because AMD uses GDDR6, not expensive GDDR7. Intel's Arc B580 is also an option if you're aiming for 1080p without breaking the bank — even though stocks are irregular.

And above all, monitors the curves on DropReference If you see a specific dip in the model you are interested in, go for it. Buying opportunities are becoming shorter and shorter.

Several factors: the cost of GDDR7 skyrocketing, the absence of new NVIDIA GPUs this year, US-China tariffs, and AI demand absorbing foundries' production capacity. All of this creates an artificial shortage in the gaming segment.

In the short term, it is very unlikely. The upward factors (GDDR7, no new GPU, prices) are structural. The low point of May-June 2026 around €1,089-1,190 was an exceptional window. We probably won't see it again before the launch of the RTX 60 in 2027.

Honestly, at €400 for 8GB of VRAM in 2026, it's hot. The card is fine at 1080p, but the 8GB is already limiting in some recent games at 1440p. At this price, consider the RX 9070 XT with 16GB instead — it's €250 more but you get double the VRAM and much better performance.

Not before mid-2027 at the earliest. We will have to wait for new GPUs (RTX 60 or RTX 50 SUPER) to create pressure on prices. And even then, it depends on the evolution of the cost of GDDR7 and AI demand. Market analysts are counting on a gradual normalization by late 2027 - early 2028.

At the moment, the AMD's RX 9070 XT offers the best balance. 16 GB GDDR6 (cheaper than GDDR7), performance close to the RTX 5080 in rasterization, and a price around 650-700 €. For tight budgets, the Intel Arc B580 remains viable in 1080p around 250-280€, if you find it in stock.