Nvidia again issues a price-hike notice to graphics card makers: GDDR6/GDDR7 memory is being reallocated in shipments, and graphics card “price-hype” surges again

According to the tech media Benchlife, Nvidia has issued a price-increase notice to its graphics card board partners. This round of hikes involves GDDR6 and GDDR7 display memory modules. When Nvidia ships, it bundles the GPU chips and VRAM chips into “kits” for supply; once the kit price goes up, the costs are immediately pushed onto the board manufacturers. AIBs have almost no choice but to raise the prices of graphics cards. The market estimates that this graphics card price hike could rise by 20% to 30%, and the true root cause is AI’s appetite for memory.
(Background: Nvidia graphics cards see a sharp surge—“RTX5090 will break 100,000”; Nvidia reduces production of the RTX40 series but does not lower prices, and AI Taiwanese fabs are laughing.)
(Additional context: Samsung reportedly raised DRAM again by 20% in Q3—three times within a year, with AI squeezing production capacity, pushing the burn toward smartphones and PCs)

Key Summary

• Nvidia sent a price-increase notice to board partners; GDDR6 and GDDR7 display memory kits were adjusted upward, leaving AIBs only able to raise graphics card retail prices.
• A 3GB GDDR7 chip costs about $60 to $70, about three times the $20 for the 2GB version; the market estimates graphics card prices could rise by 20% to 30%.
• The underlying cause is that AI-driven HBM demand has displaced DRAM and GDDR capacity; flagship RTX 5090 has already been 38.9% above Nvidia’s official suggested retail price as of July.

For anyone looking to upgrade their graphics card, they may need to wait a bit longer—or pay more. According to tech media Benchlife, Nvidia has issued a price-increase notice to graphics card board partners. This time, the increase is for GDDR6 and GDDR7 display memory kits. To understand what’s going on, you first need to know how Nvidia sells its products.

When Nvidia ships to board partners, it doesn’t just sell the GPU chips. It packages the GPU chips and VRAM (memory) chips into “kits” and supplies them together. Partners then solder the chips onto their own designed PCB (printed circuit board) to make custom graphics cards. So when the kit price rises, the cost is directly passed onto the board makers. And since the board makers’ gross margins are already thin, they can’t easily absorb this kind of cost themselves.

3GB memory is three times the price of 2GB

Numbers speak for themselves. A 3GB GDDR7 chip is about $60 to $70, while the standard 2GB version is about $20—meaning high-end memory is priced at triple the entry-level. This round of adjustments hits both the new Blackwell cards using GDDR7 and the older GeForce models still using GDDR6. The market estimates that graphics card retail prices may increase by 20% to 30%.

The most awkward part is the upcoming RTX 50 SUPER series, because fitting in the expensive 3GB GDDR7 modules reportedly led to the decision to hold it back for now.

The source of the price increase is AI

Blame AI. The real source of this memory price surge is that AI servers have an enormous appetite for HBM (high-bandwidth memory). The three major memory manufacturers prioritize their production capacity toward higher-profit HBM, which in turn displaces DRAM and GDDR production lines, tightening supply across the board. Samsung reportedly plans to raise DRAM by another 20% in Q3 alone, with three increases within a year; even AMD has also raised the GDDR kit costs for board makers. This shows it’s not just Nvidia’s doing.

The consumer end has already been running hot. RTX 50 graphics cards with 16GB+ VRAM have recently risen by about 15% to 20%. As of July, the flagship RTX 5090 is already 38.9% higher than Nvidia’s official suggested retail price. The so-called suggested retail price has long been only a reference figure.

For those wanting to upgrade their graphics cards, the bad news is that this price hike hasn’t reached its peak yet. Until the memory shortage is addressed, board makers can only keep passing costs along the chain—while the person who ultimately pays is always the customer standing at the checkout counter.

Common Questions

How much will Nvidia’s price hike make graphics cards rise?

Nvidia is raising the prices of GDDR6 and GDDR7 display memory kits, and the market estimates graphics card prices may increase by 20% to 30%. RTX 50 graphics cards with 16GB+ VRAM have recently risen by about 15% to 20%, and the flagship RTX 5090 is even 38.9% higher than the official suggested retail price.

Why has memory kept rising in price?

The main reason is that AI servers’ demand for HBM high-bandwidth memory has exploded. Memory manufacturers prioritize capacity for HBM, displacing DRAM and GDDR production lines, tightening supply. Samsung reportedly says DRAM will rise by 20% again in Q3, and it has already increased three times in a year.

This article is sourced from reports by the tech media Benchlife, compiled and reported by 動區動趨.