Update 7/8 11:30am BST / 06:30 ET: U.K. GPU prices have gone back down for the entire range bar the RTX 5080 and 5090 — the 5060 Ti, 5070 and 5070 Ti are cheaper than ever! Meanwhile, the U.S. GPU Prime Day deals are...well, there are cards now available at MSRP! Not quite the savings we wanted, but at least it's progress!
Ever since I started testing GPUs, I’ve been waiting for the moment to say my favorite graphics cards are on sale for Prime Day. I did start as a deals writer, so the high I’d feel to tell you that you could save money on an RTX 5060 Ti or RTX 5070 Ti would be significant.
And now we're here, that situation is sort of improving. I know I roasted the expectation of paying $1,000 for an RTX 5070 Ti, and that diabolical price is still present (so much for "deals"). But with stock levels normalizing — particularly on mid-range cards — it's not getting pretty easy to find a GPU at MSRP.
In the U.K., the situation is even better, because we are seeing actual deals. Like, proper discounts on RTX 50-series GPU retail prices. So don't fall for the trash savings, take a trip with me and I'll point you in the right direction.
Live in the U.K.? No need to worry!
I’ve checked for GPU stock over the course of this entire year, and one thing has become abundantly clear — scalping is not really a thing in Britain.
That's not to say it doesn’t exist. There are still plenty of cards that are being sold for £30-50 more. But stocking issues don’t seem to be plaguing the U.K. as much, and because of that, retailers are selling some models at (or even below) recommended retail price (RRP).
U.K Prime Day Graphics Card deals
And right now, that’s where the Nvidia party ends for GPUs under RRP, as price quickly jumps up with RTX 5090.
My advice to U.S. PC gamers
But enough showing off about the U.K. — let’s try and find my friends in the States a little something. Here are 3 tips for your GPU-buying mission:
- Be prepared to go over slightly: I’ll be real with you — it’s rare you’ll find the better GPU choices for MSRP. But that doesn’t mean you should dramatically overpay to grab one. Aim for a $50 flexibility if you’re keen to buy sooner rather than later.
- Look to bundles: While the GPU itself may be slightly scalped, if you get it as part of a bundle with maybe some RAM or a power supply, the discount on this bit may bring the cost more in-line.
- Consider a pre-build: Normally, the lowest cost approach to a gaming PC is to build it yourself, but that’s not necessarily the case anymore. When comparing pre-builds spotted on Newegg and Best Buy to the equally-specced pcpartpicker equivalent, we’ve seen the price of the pre-build actually be lower about 50% of the time.
Got all that? Good! Rather than go immediately for the first thing you see a big red sale sticker on (that's not actually a sale), go for these instead.
U.S. Graphics Cards - best prices
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