Recently, the prices in the GPU market have been on a steady incline. ASUS, a leading vendor, has once again increased the suggested retail prices of its high-end graphics cards. The spotlight is particularly on the flagship RTX 5090 Astral OC and Radeon RX 9070 series. This price increase is not driven by scalper speculation but is instead a result of cost pressures faced by manufacturers and retailers alike. Market data reveals that the current graphics card prices are generally 1.5 to 2 times higher than the original suggested retail price, rendering the MSRP nearly meaningless.

A prime example of this hike is the ASUS GeForce RTX 5090 Astral OC. As a flagship graphics card based on NVIDIA's Blackwell architecture, it boasts 21,760 CUDA cores and 32GB of GDDR7 memory, offering superior performance. However, this performance comes at a higher cost; in early February, it was priced at $3,079.99 on ASUS's website, and by mid-March, this had increased to $3,359.99—an increase of $280 in just a month, placing its price at roughly 68% above the suggested retail price of $1,999. Meanwhile, the TUF RTX 5090 OC Edition has seen a more modest price increase of just $10, now standing at $2,999, which still represents a 50% premium over the MSRP. Although NVIDIA claims that RTX 50 series shipments have doubled from the previous generation, persistent supply constraints continue to drive high prices.

The Radeon RX 9070 series hasn't escaped these price hikes either. The ASUS Prime Radeon RX 9070 XT OC now costs $719 as the entry model, while the TUF RX 9070 XT OC is priced at $799. In contrast, the base MSRP of the RX 9070 XT is only $599, indicating price increases of 20% and 33% respectively. Even the lower-tier Radeon RX 9070 is now priced at $659, which is about $110 above its MSRP of $549. This price pressure is now evident even in AMD's mid-range products.

A significant factor behind the rising GPU prices is changes in the cost structure. Industry insiders highlight that the manufacturing costs of GPU chips and video memory take up the majority of expenses, while profit margins from extras like cooling solutions and packaging are shrinking. In response to this trend, major suppliers feel compelled to adjust their pricing multiple times. For instance, ASUS's RTX 5090 Astral OC briefly hit $3,409 when it launched in January this year, dropping slightly afterwards. However, the latest indications suggest a continued upward trend.

While the RTX 5090 Astral OC boasts features like a quad-fan cooling system, a core frequency of up to 2900MHz, and memory bandwidth reaching 1.8TB/s, its power consumption has also increased to 600W, significantly more than the RTX 4090's 450W.

Current market trends indicate that the GPU price battles in 2025 are far from over. Even with technological advancements in NVIDIA and AMD's new products, such as improved performance in ray tracing effects and AI acceleration, high prices deter many technology enthusiasts. Some statistics reveal that the RTX 5090 has been speculated to reach over $5,000 in certain secondary markets, and RX 9070 XT's reservation prices have neared $900 at some European retailers. The imbalanced supply and demand, joined by rising production costs, are forcing consumers to pay a hefty premium for the latest technology.

For many tech enthusiasts, the current GPU market presents a dilemma. On one hand, the performance improvements in the new generation graphics cards are exhilarating; yet on the other hand, rising prices make upgrading unattainable for many. ASUS's recent price hike is just a small reflection of the broader market dynamics. As supply chain adjustments and market competition heat up, whether GPU prices will stabilize in the future remains uncertain.