Why are graphics cards so expensive

[LordofGangsters]

It seems to just be a couple of bits of metal.

 

So what gives? Shouldn't they cost like 20$?

[Hiitchy]

Because miners and crypto currencies. 

[ProjectBox153]

Bits of metal? They’re very complex pieces of engineering. Try making one out of “bits of metal”. 

[EPPHO]

Yo call me when you make one so i can buy it for 20$

[captain_to_fire]

8 minutes ago, LordofGangsters said:

It seems to just be a couple of bits of metal.

 

So what gives? Shouldn't they cost like 20$?

Yes they are. Just like how you and so many people can just download RAM for free instead of spending $200 for 16GB DDR4 sticks. 

[Dissitesuxba11s]

You also have to factor in R&D, manufacturing, programming, logistics, rare earth metals, future support, etc.

[Guest Generallee]

[LHJKO]

1 minute ago, Generallee said:

Wouldn't it be better if there was bait whos just going for a hook

[grimreeper132]

6 minutes ago, Jamiec1130 said:

Bits of metal? They’re very complex pieces of engineering. Try making one out of “bits of metal”. 

considering that the main material that they are made out of is silicon which isn't a metal, I don't think that would be possible or it would be a mechanical thing.

 

Also they are making thin lines of metal with are 12nm which is 12*10^-9m which is about 7000 times smaller than a strand of hair.

[3 Lions]

11 minutes ago, LordofGangsters said:

couple of bits of metal.

Well I thought they were just pieces of cardboard stuck together with sticky tape... (not in anyway sarcastic) 

[Majestic]

wow OP, such subterfuge. 

[Nosfy]

35 minutes ago, LordofGangsters said:

It seems to just be a couple of bits of metal.

 

So what gives? Shouldn't they cost like 20$?

Mining. Simple. 

[WhatTheHell]

Yeah I remember when mining wasn't popular and I could buy new range gtx series cards for $20.

[AshleyAshes]

29 minutes ago, Generallee said:

"Oh look, this thread will be someone ELSE complaining about mining!  ...Why aren't GPUs $20?  Just metal?  User's first post?  ...Is it sad that I find this being a troll post to be REFRESHING? o______o"

[DocSwag]

First of all, just because the materials something is made from are cheap doesn't mean the product itself is cheap. Sculptures and paintings, for example. They can sell for a lot of money, yet the raw materials they're made from is really cheap. Why? Because it's not just the materials you have to consider, but how those materials were formed into the shape they were formed into, the amount of energy and time that had to go into forming that material into that shape, and the man hours that went into doing that.

 

Also worth noting is it's not just "bits of metal." There are lots of other substances that go into GPUs (silicon, doped with boron and phosphorus, all of which are not metals, is used in the actual GPU itself).

 

The GPU die itself is extremely costly to make. What you essentially have to do is apply a light sensitive layer and then shine a mask on it so that some parts disappear. This then allows other layers to be added in the way they should be. The silicon used also has to be extremely pure which adds costs and time, and the development of these masks is also very expensive. People need to be manning it at all times. That's a lot of money going into the die.

[BluJay614]

38 minutes ago, LordofGangsters said:

It seems to just be a couple of bits of metal.

 

So what gives? Shouldn't they cost like 20$?

It's much more then just a couple bits of metal. It's the technology that goes into it, along with the R&D, manufacturing cost(including labor cost), the fact that those metals are not exactly common, the fact that the cost of the vRAM these cards use is high right now, profit margins, and that cryptocurrency miners are soaking up almost all the stock.

[Sniperfox47]

2 hours ago, LordofGangsters said:

It seems to just be a couple of bits of metal.

 

So what gives? Shouldn't they cost like 20$?

It's a couple bits of metal and some Silicon in the same way you're just a bag of water with some protein in it.

 

It's not about the component elements, but rather how they're put together.

 

The chemical processes used to make GPUs, and the high failure rates of the dies pushes up the cost to manufacture significantly.

 

And that's not to mention that we sadly live in a capitalist society which is driven by supply and demand. Supply of the devices is limited, whether due to supply of components or artificially, and since demand for the product is incredibly high they can get away with charging that much for them.

[Mira Yurizaki]

If we paid things only by their material cost, we'd still be stuck in the stone age.

[linustouchtips]

i can make a gpu out of bits of metal probably wouldnt work though. but the miners won't know that I'll just call it a gtxkindof 1070 with big bold letters "good miner".

[Mick Naughty]

Why are video games not free, don’t even come on a disk anymore? Makes no sense. 

[Mk7-Golf-R]

I wouldn't give that comment a response. 

[Jtalk4456]

6 hours ago, linustouchtips said:

i can make a gpu out of bits of metal probably wouldnt work though. but the miners won't know that I'll just call it a gtxkindof 1070 with big bold letters "good miner".

I made a really good miner made out of metal. I'm going to start selling it for $500