Life without Windows or OS X

GNU/Linux is quite possibly the most important free software achievement since the original Space War, or, more recently, Emacs. It has developed into an operating system for business, education, and personal productivity. GNU/Linux is no longer only for UNIX wizards who sit for hours in front of a glowing console. Are you thinking about switching to Linux and want to learn how to use it? Have you been using GNU/Linux for some time and want to learn even more? This is the place for you.

Friday, February 16, 2018

GPU shortage

The graphics processing unit (GPU) shortage started a while ago. Many people think it started when a bitcoin surge led to renewed interest in cryptocurrency mining in Nov of 2017. The last card I got was a Sapphire RX 560 Pulse OC 4GB.The RX 560 fully unlocks itself to 16 CUs, up from the previous 14 CUs of the RX 460.I got off a May of 2017 for around $115. A really good deal. That same card cost around $160 in June. I saw it online for $200 by October of 2017. I got a GeForce GTX 1050 Ti in late 2016 for about $130. The GeForce GTX 1050 ti today will cost you around $249. Low-end cards have also doubled in price. Low-end cards remain in stock, for the most part, however, if you are low income you cant afford to buy.On the high-end of the spectrum, AMD’s Vega GPUs are nowhere to be found.Nvidia’s GTX 1080 and 1080 Ti are still available on the market but cost double or triple the MSRP. 

I wanted to get a GTX 1060 but I waited too late. Nvidia’s GeForce GTX 1060 is popular with miners too.Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies like Ethereum, Ripple, and Litecoin have soared in value over the past year.That made the 1060 rise in price from around $275 to $400 in the second half of 2017. The miners use massive rigging stations to mine for the cryptocurrency, which can easily pay for the cost of mining if they just a few coins are acquired.

If I were a PC gamer I would be really upset.I would angry that AMD and Nvidia are not doing enough to combat shortages and price gouging occurring in the GPU market.The best solution to the problem might be to just buy an entire desktop PC or move to the consoles market, the Xbox One X, and PlayStation 4 Pro as viable alternatives. The new Ryzen 2400G Processor with Radeon Vega Graphics is not a real solution with games like Deus ex Mankind divided delivering bad gaming performance. 

Every game released for a console will run flawlessly on that console, regardless of whether it was released during the console’s initial launch or after.  Console gaming at this time is a lot cheaper as the GPU market instability makes building a PC with a dedicated graphics card difficult.

Word is, Bitcoin is going to crash to zero this year. I won't hold my breath.

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