With the crypto market constantly fluctuating, prices for many graphics cards are finally cooling off as demand from Ethereum miners drops. In Vietnam, some GPUs are now 3-5% cheaper than last month, according to a major computer retailer in Hanoi. However, even with these price drops, many cards still cost significantly more than before the crypto boom.
For example, Nvidia’s RTX 2060 is currently priced around 14.8 million VND at a big Hanoi retailer. That’s way higher than the 8 million VND price tag it had back in 2020.
Graphics card prices are easing as Ethereum mining demand cools, but they’re still far from pre-crypto boom levels.
The reality is, not every gamer in Vietnam is ready or able to spend over 10 million VND on a graphics card. The most active market is actually in the 3-5 million VND range, or slightly higher at 5-7 million VND. But finding a gaming-capable card in this price bracket is tough right now, with very few options available.
What gaming GPUs can you get for 5 to 7 million VND?
Around 6.5 to 7 million VND, your main option is Nvidia’s GTX 1650, which launched in 2019. Its current price is much higher than 1-2 years ago, when it hovered between 4.5 and 5.2 million VND depending on the version.
As a budget gaming GPU from Nvidia, the GTX 1650 has never been highly praised by gamers or reviewers. At launch, its performance was average, sitting between the older GTX 1050 Ti and GTX 1060 models.
By July 2021, the GTX 1650 started struggling with demanding AAA titles like Cyberpunk 2077. To run this RPG at Full HD with 30 FPS, you have to lower graphics settings to Low.
Obviously, the GTX 1650 won’t handle AAA games released from 2022 onward well, as new PC games require more power to match next-gen consoles like the PS5 and Xbox Series X/S. Still, if you mainly play esports titles or popular online games like League of Legends, DOTA 2, Call of Duty Warzone, or PUBG, the GTX 1650 is an okay choice with acceptable performance.
If you only have about 5 million VND, Nvidia’s older GTX 1050 Ti without extra power connectors is a decent pick for esports or older AA games. However, with weaker performance than the GTX 1650 and being 5 years old, it’s not a great long-term investment.
It’s worth noting that besides the GTX 1650 and 1050 Ti, Nvidia GPUs under 5 million VND are almost nonexistent now, which is a big change from previous years. Also, avoid cards like the GT 1030 (around 2.5 million VND), which are meant for display output and office PCs, not gaming.
While Nvidia fans have a couple of options under 7 million VND, AMD fans currently have none. Last year, GPUs like the RX 570, RX 580, and RX 590 were AMD’s main contenders in the 4-5 million VND range.
But everything changed in early 2021 with the crypto boom. Because of their strong Ethereum mining performance for the price, RX 570 and RX 580 cards sold out everywhere and basically vanished from PC component stores.
AMD GPUs priced between 4 and 5.5 million VND are almost completely missing from computer stores.
Overall, right now spending up to 7 million VND on a mid-tier card like the GTX 1650 isn’t a smart move in my opinion. It’s better to wait 2-3 more months until GPU shortages ease. Then you’ll have more choices and much better prices.
