How To Buy A Graphics Card In 2022 – Your Options, Explained

You don’t have to be a seasoned PC builder to know about the chip shortage plaguing industries all over the globe. It has been, to put things mildly, absolutely infuriating to try to purchase anything from a new car to a game console over the past 18 months or so, and graphics cards (GPUs) are one of the items that seem to be worth more than its weight in diamonds these days. Thankfully, it’s 2022, and all of that has chan—oh, sorry, literally nothing has changed and it’s still virtually impossible to buy a GPU. Great.

The good news is that while supply levels don’t seem to be improving, many of the companies making graphics cards, and the retailers selling them, have provided new tools that make it somewhat easier — and more importantly, more fair — to score one. At the same time, scalpers that have been hoarding the precious silicon continue to resell it at a marked-up price, but as more people begin to see the profit potential of reselling, scalpers have to further undercut one another to ensure they can offload the GPUs they’ve invested thousands of dollars in.

There are a number of ways to attempt to purchase a graphics card in 2022, and how long you want to wait for one will ultimately determine how much you’re going to end up spending. Let’s start with the most expensive, and work our way down.

Buying A Graphics Card On eBay, Craigslist, Or Facebook Marketplace

They have it and you want it. They? The scalpers. It? A shiny new GPU still sealed in its box. It’s supply and demand at its absolute worst, but there’s not much any of us can do about it, and if you want a GPU right this second, they’ll sell you one, but it won’t be cheap. At present, prices for the highest-end GPUs are anywhere from $700 to $1,000 over MSRP. Prices for specific card variants that are highly sought after by crypto miners and the hardest core of hardcore gamers can fetch even higher premiums.

There are plenty of risks associated with buying from a third party and, most of the time, it’s a good idea to avoid this option if at all possible. When dealing with shipping, sellers may not package the product properly, leading to damage before it arrives. There’s also the possibility of being straight-up scammed and receiving a phone book in a cardboard box rather than a graphics card. Sites like eBay will try to remedy this for buyers, but the process is often long and tiring. If you’re buying on Facebook Marketplace or Craigslist, you should avoid buying anything that has to be shipped to you, and that goes double for something as sought-after as a new GPU.

Still, for all its risks and expense, buying a GPU from a reputable seller on a site like eBay — one with a huge number of positive reviews gathered over years, not weeks — is still going to be the fastest way to get the graphics card you’re so desperately in need of. If you have the cash to burn and the time to do a bit of research into who you’re buying from, it’s better than not having a GPU at all.

Odds of getting a GPU: High

Odds of overpaying: High

Risk of a scam: High

Buying A Graphics Card From Newegg

No stranger to scarce tech tidbits, Newegg has long been a bastion for PC builders hunting for their next graphics card, and it’s still a great place to look. Are they in stock as I type this? Nope. Will they be in stock when you read this? Also nope. But what’s great about Newegg is a little system the retailer has come up with called Shuffle.

Shuffle is basically a lottery system that prevents individuals (usually scalpers) from buying mass quantities of GPUs. It also allows people who just decided they want a graphics card upgrade to throw their hat in the ring for the chance to purchase one. When stock becomes available, Newegg launches its product shuffle page and you can select which items you’d like the opportunity to purchase. Graphics cards are one of the hottest items in these shuffles, so your odds of actually getting one may still be pretty slim, but there’s still a chance, and luck may be on your side.

Once the shuffle happens, winners are notified of their status and are given a time window within which to purchase the products. The standard time window is two hours, which should be more than enough time to make it through the digital checkout. Is it silly that you have to “win” a contest to be able to buy a GPU? Yes. Is it still one of your best shots at paying MSRP for one? Also yes.

Odds of getting a GPU: Medium

Odds of overpaying: Low

Risk of a scam: Low

Buying A Graphics Card From Amazon, Best Buy, Or Other Retail Giants

You might think that a company like Amazon or even Best Buy would pull enough weight to convince some GPU manufacturers to dump heaps of graphics cards on them. You might think that, but you’d be wrong, because when a company like Best Buy gets GPU stock it’s almost always in ultra-small quantities, and any stock that appears on Amazon is gone within seconds, and that’s not an exaggeration.

If you’re determined to buy your next GPU from a big box store, you’re going to have a rough time. Any product that is in high demand will lead to a huge rush of digital foot traffic, leading to laggy websites and, ultimately, many frustrated would-be buyers. These drops are also a favorite stomping ground for scalpers, many of whom use automated programs to breeze through the checkout far faster than any human could dream of. It’s an exercise in frustration more often than not, and even sites that employ scalper or bot protection still offer a very slim chance at scoring what you’re looking for.

Until the chip supply issue begins to clear up, it’s best to just avoid graphics card drops from stores like these, unless you really think you have luck on your side.

Odds of getting a GPU: Low

Odds of overpaying: Low

Risk of a scam: Low

Buying A Graphics Card From The Manufacturer

Now he’s a novel idea! Why wait for a GPU to go through a messy retail supply chain when you can just buy straight from the manufacturer? This is honestly the ideal way to buy a graphics card — or any piece of technology, really — but there are still a few drawbacks that we should talk about.

For starters, many manufacturers don’t offer direct sales, which kinda kills the dream before you can even start it. The ones that do, like EVGA for example, often have rudimentary digital storefronts that aren’t necessarily built to handle an influx of traffic, and that can often lead to problems. Additionally, some manufacturers have specific systems in place to decide who gets a graphics card and who has to wait.

Using EVGA as an example again, the company’s “Queue 3.0” system rewards loyalty by checking your “EVGA Score” which is calculated based, in part, on past purchases. Never bought an EVGA product before? You can still potentially get an EVGA GPU, but those who signed up before you, and who have a higher loyalty score, will have first dibs.

Best sites: EVGA, AMD Direct

Odds of getting a GPU: Medium

Odds of overpaying: Low

Risk of a scam: None

A Note On GPU Restocks

If you’re opting for something other than eBay/Craigslist, you’re going to have to wait for a restock. These stock updates can be incredibly hard to predict, so keeping an eye on a Twitter account like @GPURestock is a good idea. Turn on notifications for those posts and you’ll get news of new stock pushed to your phone, which may actually help you get the graphics card you’ve been drooling over.

About The Author

Mike Wehner
(24 Articles Published)

Mike Wehner is Screen Rant’s Lead Tech Editor and oversees the daily operation of the Tech section. He’s a veteran writer and editor, having written about gaming, technology, and science across websites such as Engadget, BGR, The Daily Dot, Joystiq and Yahoo. His work has also appeared on CNN, USA Today, Time, and other national and worldwide publications.

Mike is an avid gamer, automotive enthusiast, and generally likes any machine that beeps or rumbles. You can find him on Twitter (@MikeWehner) or contact him directly at mike.w (at) screenrant.com.

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