As we’ve noted in our frequently updated GPU Pricing Index, graphics card prices are on a steady decline (by roughly 12.5 percent last month), much to the delight of PC gamers. However, pricing is still not where we’d like it to be, compared to MSRP. For example, the GeForce RTX 3080 has an MSRP of $699 (roughly $799 for custom cards), yet the average eBay transaction is just under $1,300.
If you don’t mind grabbing a previous-generation card, EVGA has its GeForce RTX 2060 KO Ultra Gaming card available at its MSRP of $329.99.
While the RTX 2060 isn’t exactly a cutting-edge GPU currently (it’s three years old as of this writing), it is at least faster than Nvidia’s entry-level, Ampere-based RTX 3050. It’s also interesting to note that the average street price for the RTX 3050 is $416, which is nearly $100 more expensive than EVGA’s pricing for the RTX 2060 KO Ultra Gaming.
The RTX 2060 KO Ultra Gaming comes factory overlocked, with a boost clock of 1755 MHz compared to 1680 MHz for standard cards. You’ll also receive 1920 CUDA cores, 6GB of GDDR6 memory, along with DVI-D, HDMI and DisplayPort connections on the I/O plate. This is a dual-fan card with a metal backplate, and it forgoes RGB lighting flourishes for those that prefer a more “stealth” appearance in their gaming rig.
We should note that this card could go out of stock at any moment, but it has been available for sale on EVGA’s website for at least the past 24 hours (and is still going). EVGA limits availability to two cards per person, which seems fair given the current GPU climate.
The one downside relates to shipping, which can be pricey depending on where you live. Standard ground shipping to North Carolina is $17.89, which might be a bit off-putting to those used to free shipping from retailers like Newegg, Amazon and Best Buy. However, beggars can’t be choosers these days when it comes to GPU. The fact that EVGA is offering this at MSRP is a huge plus for budget gamers, and we can only hope that the vendor’s current-generation “mainstream” Ampere cards will also come back in stock soon.
