Ultimate eye candy
Nice things we can finally afford.
It’s finally time – albeit with some caution in reserve – to declare the GPU crisis over. The team and I have been checking graphics card prices daily for many months, and at last it seems that sanity has returned to the market. You can now buy, as an example, an RTX 3080 in the $1,200-range, while just a few months ago they were $2,200 or more.
We hope this is the end of those bad old days, though to be realistic, while the crypto demand for GPUs has all but vanished, the supply and logistics issues that also contributed to insane pricing are still very much present.
So perhaps now is the time to buy. Prices are good and there’s stock for most items just waiting to be added to your cart. Thus, now is also the time for APC to have a big old look at the state of play in the GPU scene to properly arm you with the knowledge you need as you consider a new card. In our cover story (page 56) we’ve created a hierarchy of GPUs you can buy today, and because many of you may indeed have been holding on to your older card longer than planned – how the last eight years of GPUs stack up.
We haven’t looked at individual cards – just the GPUs. We’re still seeing loads of fluctuation so we’re not recommending particular models – but with our guide you’ll know the GPU to shoot for and can jump on the best deal when it’s time to buy.
The pretties to be had from a new GPU in gaming are a special thrill to be appreciated, but at the end of the process it’s the monitor you run that is the ultimate presentation for your eager eyes. Screen tech is evolving so fast today and there’s new display technologies hitting right now that can make a huge difference. OLED has just arrived, and micro-LED is just about to hit the market. We’ve put together everything you need to know about what’s here, what’s imminent, and what’s just around the corner. Head to page 50 to enjoy that one.
Whether you’re a gamer or not, a new screen can be transformative, and because we tend to stick with the same monitor much longer than we keep other components before upgrading – the decision on what to buy is so important.
Lastly, we’ve given your mag a bit of a freshen up this month. It’s not a major redesign and APC still feels like APC, but with the recent addition of all the cool new regular content in APC it felt right to have a bit of a play with the fonts and layout to give APC a nice new look to match.
Enjoy the month, see you next issue!
“With our guide you’ll know the GPU to shoot for and can jump on the best deal when it’s time to buy.”