Heading into the holiday season, a hot ticket item on any PC gamer's list is a new graphics card. This year has seen new cards from both Nvidia and AMD that are pushing PC power to new heights. Tracking down a graphics card, on the other hand, has been a nightmare. Shortages in stock, and scalping of the PS5, Xbox Series X, and graphics cards has been a problem. To make matters worse, a huge shipment of RTX 3090s has gone missing from a factory in China.
The RTX 3090 occupies the top spot in Nvidia's new lineup of graphics cards, with a retail price of $1,499 USD, and the highest performance benchmarks on the market. With the high price tag, the RTX 3090 is not something that is affordable for everyone, but for those that are looking for a premium card, this is a highly sought after item.
The story out of China, reported by Taiwanese technology company MSI, is that 40 cargo boxes of RTX 3090 cards were stolen from their factory. The total retail value of the cards is a staggering $336,500, and given how hard the cards are to come by, this theft will likely scare up more demand and raise prices on the secondary market. The amount quoted by MSI indicates that the 40 cargo boxes had a total of 220 cards. Nvidia projects that shortages of its RTX 30xx series cards will extend well into 2021, and incidents like this will not help matters.
MSI also has reason to believe the theft was an inside job, as the shipping area of its factory has video surveillance, and its trucks are regularly inspected when entering and leaving the facility. The company is offering a reward for information on the whereabouts of the cards. Theft of gaming gear has been a problem worldwide as of late, with pro gamer Tommey having his gaming chair swiped off his front porch. Whether it is the time of year, or the effects of COVID-19, people can feel desperate, and sadly, theft enters the equation for some.
While Nvidia's cards are taking the headline in this story, AMD's own line of cards are also in demand. The Radeon 6800 XT compares well with Nvidia's RTX 3080, but it is also going for two and three times its retail price. There is no relief in sight for those looking to get their hands on these highly sought after graphics cards, and theft is certainly not helping the situation.
Source: Tom's Hardware