Will there be graphics card deals on Black Friday?
The question of whether there will be graphics card deals on Black Friday has been on my mind for some time. I mean, the industry has just about recovered from component shortages and the ravenous realm of cryptocurrency gobbling up stock, but it still feels like prices are at an all time high. Thankfully, there are plenty of reasons to feel positive about GPU discounts this November, as proper offers are becoming more of a thing again.
There are two factors that could and should help facilitate better Black Friday graphics card deals. For starters, new gen GPUs like the Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090 and AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX now sit at the top of the totem pole, meaning there are plenty of models begging for a price chop. The other is situational, as not only is graphics card production back in full swing, but crypto is effectively dead (touch wood).
Simply put, we should see a healthy selection of graphics cards among Black Friday gaming deals this year, and Cyber Monday GPU deals should serve as a solid fallback. That leaves us with the question of what specific models you’re likely to see during the sale, as there’s a chance you’ll see newer cards join in the party. That much was apparent during Amazon’s recent Prime Day sequel event, as even expensive options like the RTX 4080 dropped to a more palatable price point.
Which graphics card will be on offer for Black Friday?
It might sound obvious, but older graphics cards are more suspectable to discounts during Black Friday. In fact, that goes for any time of the year, and the emergence of a successor normally means deep discounts on previous gen options. That said, you'll want to be careful before pouncing on reduced 30-series cards like the RTX 3060, as even discounted price tags are sometimes only $20 more than a shiny new RTX 4060. We'd say that's not a very Black Friday move for a retailer to pull, and we're expecting better during this year's event.
We'd also advise caution when jumping on even older cards like the Nvidia GTX 1660, as while it's been a popular low spec option for some time, it might not be the best investment. Sure, if you can get it for a ridiculously good price, then batter in. Just make sure to check out newer models in case there's a discount that fits your budget, as you'll ultimately end up with something that's better value.
But what about newer contenders like Nvidia's RTX 4000 series? Well, it's somewhat good news on that front too. As mentioned above, the RTX 4080 managed to reach a record low price before we could even get to Black Friday, but we didn't see any movement with its RTX 4090 sibling. Same goes for the newer RTX 4060 cards, with the lower-mid range end of the scale being occupied mainly by smaller RTX 4070 discounts.
On the AMD side of things, Radeon cards seem to love dropping in price, and even new RDNA 3 GPUs are already cheaper than at launch. We're fully expecting to see a healthy collection of cards included this Black Friday, and we'll be keeping an eye on the Radeon RX 7900 XTX in particular.
This year, we do actually have a wild card player running the race, as Intel Arc graphics cards are now widely available. The blue team's flagship card also isn't premium, and we've witnessed discounts bring the Arc A770 down to the same price last gen entry level options. Same applies to the lower spec A750, with price tags edging delightfully towards the $200 mark.
As for the best place to start your Black Friday hunt, we'd suggest starting with the retailers down below first before broadening your search. Most of the time, you'll find each retailer sticking with the exact same price, but deviations from the status quo do happen and provide you with an opportunity to strike lucky.
Amazon
The world's largest online retailer historically has some of the better deals on entry-level graphics cards over the past couple of years, especially on the AMD front, so one to watch if you're forging a Full HD or 1440p build this year. View Deal
Best Buy
Historically, Best Buy has held some of the better graphics card deals over the Black Friday period, especially when it comes to entry-level and mid-tier GPUs. There are currently few options available on its website, but it's definitely one to keep an eye on in the next week or so in case anything changes. View Deal
Newegg
Newegg has delivered some of the longer-lasting graphics card deals over the Black Friday period if the past couple of years are anything to go by.View Deal
Should I wait for Black Friday to buy a graphics card?
As hard as it may be to believe, the GPU market is in a much calmer state than it has been in previous years. We've previously recommended that you take whatever stock and whatever deals you can get on the best GPUs, but now we'd absolutely recommend waiting for Black Friday GPU deals.
There are bound to be amazing deals, and with a new generation of graphics cards releasing, there are plenty of powerful GPUs that will most likely have stock to spare. Unless it's a real emergency, we'd recommend waiting for Black Friday so your money goes as far as possible.
To get an idea of the sorts of prices you may need to spend on an entry level GPU this Black Friday, we've listed some decent prices below for the cards we most expect to see go on offer this month.
Upgrade your current battlestation for less in the Black Friday gaming monitor deals as well as Black Friday gaming keyboard and mouse deals, too.
