Should you wait for Black Friday to buy a graphics card? Logically, you'd think the big sale event would be an opportune time to invest in a shiny new GPU. However, I've been browsing for component deals consistently for years now, and if I'm being frank, it sometimes feels like Nvidia and AMD products are allergic to reductions.
There are two key elements that will influence Black Friday graphics card deals and Cyber Monday GPU deals this year. The first is age, as both the RTX 40-series and RX 7000 range are hardly new. Yes, I know it feels like only yesterday that the Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090 and AMD Radeon RX 7900 stepped into the ring, but it's actually coming up on two years. Continently, that feels into the second factor, as RTX 5000 like the RTX 5090 cards will likely emerge in 2025.
Keeping these two situational factors in mind is the key to picking up a great value graphics card. Whether you're waiting for the newest architecture with fancy new AI features or a bargain on last-gen GPUs, it's what's ultimately going to change the component offers playing field. So, here's how to go about deciding on whether to buy a graphics card on Black Friday, jump on an early offer, or hold off until next year.
Price history
Typically, we’ll judge current graphics card deals based on price history, as it helps determine whether better GPU discounts are a possibility. While inflated pricing is something we’re contending less and less with these days, checking both a card’s MSRP against its current and previous price points is also vital, as no one wants to be paying more than the original going rate.
Applying the above habits when shopping for GPUs will ultimately help answer whether you should wait for Black Friday or not. For example, if you’re eyeing up an RTX 4080 Super right now, you’ll be able to use tools like Camelcamelcamel to see its lowest price at Amazon. At the moment, that specific GeForce card is a chunk more expensive than it was during the retailer’s Prime Big Deal Days sale, which suggests it may end up that price or lower this November again. It’s not a guarantee, but more often than not, sale events follow a predictable back and forth pattern.
If a graphics card is already down to its lowest price, or marked with a “clearance” badge of any sorts, you might want to pounce on the offer sooner than later. Doing so is fully dependent on if you’d rather not risk availability and/or higher pricing come Black Friday, as many of these deals will be instigated by the product's age and retailers wanting to clear out stock before November.
Availability
Following on from the point above, graphics card availability plays a huge role when it comes to deciding when to buy. That's particularly true when it comes to older models, as retailers won't want to hang onto old stock forever. So far, we haven't really spotted any "reduce to clear" discounts ahead of Black Friday 2024, and some aging models out there still have inappropriate, inflated price tags attached.
Ideally, we'd love to see last gen RTX 30-series and Radeon RX 6000 cards far more of a chop. AMD RDNA 2 discounts are pretty common right now on the likes of Amazon, with a nice variety of cards available for a chunk less. Nvidia Ampere deals are sadly less common, as the company seems to be happy with two generations of GPU existing at the same time for now.
New gen pricing
When eyeing up older cards, we'd heavily advise checking any deals you find against the price of new gen equivalents. For example, if you can grab an RTX 4060 for $299, you won't want to necessarily pick up an RTX 3060 for $339, as the performance difference is not remotely worth the $10 saving. This applies to various models across the board, but we're noticing it more and more with entry-level options.
So long as you take extra time to double check specs, prices, and availability, you should be able to snag the perfect GPU deal. Most of the time, the answer to whether you should buy a graphics card before Black Friday is going to be no, but there's always a chance you'll stumble across a rare situational deal ahead of time that November will struggle to beat.
Go for power and portability in your gaming setup for less with the Black Friday gaming laptop deals. Alternatively, browse Black Friday SSD deals and boost your rig's storage.
