How to Find a GPU? (MD, USA)

[354thFG_Drewm3i-VR]

Trying to finish off my ryzen 5 build and cannot find an rtx 2080 ti, 3070, 3070 ti, 3080, or 3080 ti for less than double msrp. Any tips? Anyone have an extra gpu for sale or one they want to sell to upgrade? 

 

I don't mind paying a slight premium, but the current prices are absurd. I know I am not alone in this boat, actually far from it. 

 

I figured I would start a dedicated thread instead of hijacking the existing 1080ti upgrade to 3080 one.

[TheSNAFU]

If you are in Maryland I would suggest Micro Center. There is one in Parkvale and one in Rockville. I picked up an EVGA 3080 FTW from the Parkvale store a couple weeks ago after seeking one since September last year. I paid MSRP for it. If you research this you will find how they sell the cards they get in stock but basically I followed the locations stock and when they showed cards in stock I went there an hour and one half before opening, was fifth in line and when the store opened I was able to get the card I went for. That was my experience, hope you can find one. 

[Panzerlang]

35 minutes ago, TheSNAFU said:

If you are in Maryland I would suggest Micro Center. There is one in Parkvale and one in Rockville. I picked up an EVGA 3080 FTW from the Parkvale store a couple weeks ago after seeking one since September last year. I paid MSRP for it. If you research this you will find how they sell the cards they get in stock but basically I followed the locations stock and when they showed cards in stock I went there an hour and one half before opening, was fifth in line and when the store opened I was able to get the card I went for. That was my experience, hope you can find one. 

Sounds like an incredibly rare outfit, big kudos to them. Here in the UK, nothing but scum spivs rinsing the hell out of the shortage, big and small retailers both.

[JG1_Wittmann]

Micro Center  has had  some  2080 ti  and better cards listed at their stores.  Now I saw a 2080 TI  that was watercooled listed at a store,  for like 800  in store only, 1 in stock. I don't live near one of theirs stores, none in my state.  My brother--in-law,  was minutes from the store that had it.  He went there to buy it for me and ship.  The one  had sold earlier that AM.   Now, the store employee  told him,  you didn't miss out and you don't want it, as this same card has been sold and returned 6 times already, just sold for the 7th.  As it is a liquid only card it prob got bought by someone that didn't realize that, they fried it and returned it, as did the next 5 purchasers,  and now the 7th has it.

 

With this story just happening to me days ago,   I would be very  leery of buying anything that seems priced way below market value right now, as I can imagine this story has happened to many people around the world.  I believe you can go to some of the vid card makers and put yourself in a Que  to be notified when they have one in their store.

[354thFG_Drewm3i-VR]

3 hours ago, TheSNAFU said:

If you are in Maryland I would suggest Micro Center. There is one in Parkvale and one in Rockville. I picked up an EVGA 3080 FTW from the Parkvale store a couple weeks ago after seeking one since September last year. I paid MSRP for it. If you research this you will find how they sell the cards they get in stock but basically I followed the locations stock and when they showed cards in stock I went there an hour and one half before opening, was fifth in line and when the store opened I was able to get the card I went for. That was my experience, hope you can find one. 

I have been monitoring the microcenter in Rockville but have not seen any nvidia GPUs on their site. If they get a shipment, they will show up on the site? They do have amd GPU's, but for absurd prices.

2 hours ago, JG1_Wittmann said:

Micro Center  has had  some  2080 ti  and better cards listed at their stores.  Now I saw a 2080 TI  that was watercooled listed at a store,  for like 800  in store only, 1 in stock. I don't live near one of theirs stores, none in my state.  My brother--in-law,  was minutes from the store that had it.  He went there to buy it for me and ship.  The one  had sold earlier that AM.   Now, the store employee  told him,  you didn't miss out and you don't want it, as this same card has been sold and returned 6 times already, just sold for the 7th.  As it is a liquid only card it prob got bought by someone that didn't realize that, they fried it and returned it, as did the next 5 purchasers,  and now the 7th has it.

 

With this story just happening to me days ago,   I would be very  leery of buying anything that seems priced way below market value right now, as I can imagine this story has happened to many people around the world.  I believe you can go to some of the vid card makers and put yourself in a Que  to be notified when they have one in their store.

Sheesh, what a story.

Edited July 18, 2021 by =AW=drewm3i-VR

[354thFG_Drewm3i-VR]

Well, I found a RTX 3070 OC by Gigabyte for $1,030 with two day delivery and returns so I went with that! Should be a quality card to ride me over until the 4000 cards come out.

[kissTheSky]

Yeah, I came here to recommend the microcenter as well, but it looks like you’ve got one already. 
 

I didn’t know know you were that close to me. Rockville microcenter is my “local” microcenter as well ?

[TheSNAFU]

Good to see some fellow Marylanders here in the IL2 community! 

[354thFG_Drewm3i-VR]

6 hours ago, kissTheSky said:

Yeah, I came here to recommend the microcenter as well, but it looks like you’ve got one already. 
 

I didn’t know know you were that close to me. Rockville microcenter is my “local” microcenter as well ?

I'm in Annapolis...great town ?.

[Cloyd]

JFC, a thousand bucks for a GPU? I wish that I had that kind of disposable income!

[unlikely_spider]

7 hours ago, kissTheSky said:

Yeah, I came here to recommend the microcenter as well, but it looks like you’ve got one already. 
 

I didn’t know know you were that close to me. Rockville microcenter is my “local” microcenter as well ?

In a month I'm moving to within walking distance to that Micro Center. I love that store.

[Redwo1f]

 

Just now, unlikely_spider said:

In a month I'm moving to within walking distance to that Micro Center. I love that store.

 

Now that is a true die-hard fan! Consumer loyalty and passion at its upmost!!! 

[kissTheSky]

5 minutes ago, unlikely_spider said:

In a month I'm moving to within walking distance to that Micro Center. I love that store.

Oh boy. There should be a specific “I walked in the store without meaning to and bought stuff I didn’t need to” line item in the budget for that!

 

I still have to drive ?. I’m a whole 18 minutes away you know?

[No_85_Gramps]

I've pretty much given up for the time being. Between the scalpers and the miners things still look pretty dim. Nearest microcenter to me is about 3 hours away, so that's a no-go. Forget Amazon, way overpriced by third party sellers, the same with Newegg. Newegg does have it's "shuffle" program, which is basically a lottery type system but often you must buy a GPU, along with a motherboard, case, or power supply, which I don't need. Odds of winning are really huge from what I understand. Best Buy is like playing Beat the Bots. On one occasion, I found 4 GPUs on Best Buy. Even managed to get a couple, one at a time, in my cart, only to be told sold out when I went to checkout. I'm on a notify list with both EVGA and B&H Photo...for months. I might go 100 or 150 over MSRP so I'll probably be waiting a long time.

[kissTheSky]

1 hour ago, =AW=drewm3i-VR said:

I'm in Annapolis...great town ?.

Yes it is. Would have opted to live there if it not were for the fact that both Mrs. kissTheSky and I work in DC. 

[354thFG_Drewm3i-VR]

29 minutes ago, kissTheSky said:

Yes it is. Would have opted to live there if it not were for the fact that both Mrs. kissTheSky and I work in DC. 

I'm sorry to hear that ?..just joking, but in all seriousness, I'm not a fan of DC.

44 minutes ago, No_85_Gramps said:

I've pretty much given up for the time being. Between the scalpers and the miners things still look pretty dim. Nearest microcenter to me is about 3 hours away, so that's a no-go. Forget Amazon, way overpriced by third party sellers, the same with Newegg. Newegg does have it's "shuffle" program, which is basically a lottery type system but often you must buy a GPU, along with a motherboard, case, or power supply, which I don't need. Odds of winning are really huge from what I understand. Best Buy is like playing Beat the Bots. On one occasion, I found 4 GPUs on Best Buy. Even managed to get a couple, one at a time, in my cart, only to be told sold out when I went to checkout. I'm on a notify list with both EVGA and B&H Photo...for months. I might go 100 or 150 over MSRP so I'll probably be waiting a long time.

I almost wonder if the "shortage" is artificial. There are tons of GPU's for sale for scalper prices. If things were priced normally, I would have opted for a 3080 or 3080 ti FE no doubt.

[kissTheSky]

1 minute ago, =AW=drewm3i-VR said:

I'm sorry to hear that ?..just joking, but in all seriousness, I'm not a fan of DC.

Neither am I a fan of DC either. 
 

the only saving grace is, I go in early in the morning (at my desk by 6:00-ish am). Return home, well, any time after noon in DC it takes about an hour. Doesn’t really matter whether you’re driving 3 miles or 30. ?

[354thFG_Drewm3i-VR]

1 minute ago, kissTheSky said:

Neither am I a fan of DC either. 
 

the only saving grace is, I go in early in the morning (at my desk by 6:00-ish am). Return home, well, any time after noon in DC it takes about an hour. Doesn’t really matter whether you’re driving 3 miles or 30. ?

I know. It is crazy town...lol

[TheSNAFU]

Annapolis, I’m about 10 minutes from Nap Town. Great place. I spend a lot of time on our boat in the bay or on the Severn and Magothy rivers. 
 

I feel for those seeking and not getting a gpu. I was finally fortunate to get one at MC. When I went there my expectations were about zero but to my surprise they had cards. I went once before a few months ago and was 4th in line, waited 1 hour plus, the location website said they had cards only be told when the doors opened they had no cards at all. So it ain’t all roses at Micro Center but they did ultimately come thru for me so I’m grateful for that.
 

If you go there best to be among the first 10 people in line. 

Edited July 18, 2021 by TheSNAFU

[kissTheSky]

3 hours ago, TheSNAFU said:

Annapolis, I’m about 10 minutes from Nap Town. Great place. I spend a lot of time on our boat in the bay or on the Severn and Magothy rivers. 
 

I feel for those seeking and not getting a gpu. I was finally fortunate to get one at MC. When I went there my expectations were about zero but to my surprise they had cards. I went once before a few months ago and was 4th in line, waited 1 hour plus, the location website said they had cards only be told when the doors opened they had no cards at all. So it ain’t all roses at Micro Center but they did ultimately come thru for me so I’m grateful for that.
 

If you go there best to be among the first 10 people in line. 

I haven’t been to the Rockville MC, so I can’t confirm if they’ve switched as well, but most MC stores switched to a lottery system while keeping to the “1 GPU per person, per month” policy.
 

I don’t remember all the details, but basically before store opens, the store manager puts a QR code outside the store, you go scan, which secures a spot for the lottery, then they send a text to your phone when store opens if you’re selected, and you can make your selection out of available cards. I believe you have about an hour to purchase. 
 

While not ideal, MC seems to have done the most to actively weed out scalpers, so if they have anything I need, close to what I can get it from Amazon, they will get my money. 

[TheSNAFU]

1 hour ago, kissTheSky said:

I haven’t been to the Rockville MC, so I can’t confirm if they’ve switched as well, but most MC stores switched to a lottery system while keeping to the “1 GPU per person, per month” policy.
 

I don’t remember all the details, but basically before store opens, the store manager puts a QR code outside the store, you go scan, which secures a spot for the lottery, then they send a text to your phone when store opens if you’re selected, and you can make your selection out of available cards. I believe you have about an hour to purchase. 
 

While not ideal, MC seems to have done the most to actively weed out scalpers, so if they have anything I need, close to what I can get it from Amazon, they will get my money. 

Yep that was what I read about their process but in my case at Parkvale, when they opened,  for those seeking a gpu we were sent to a table where they asked what card we wanted. They filled out and gave us a voucher and sent us to the build department. There they took the voucher got some additional info from us and sent us to the front where the cashier pulled the gpu, rang it up and we were on our way! 

Edited July 19, 2021 by TheSNAFU

[354thFG_Drewm3i-VR]

4 hours ago, TheSNAFU said:

Annapolis, I’m about 10 minutes from Nap Town. Great place. I spend a lot of time on our boat in the bay or on the Severn and Magothy rivers. 
 

I feel for those seeking and not getting a gpu. I was finally fortunate to get one at MC. When I went there my expectations were about zero but to my surprise they had cards. I went once before a few months ago and was 4th in line, waited 1 hour plus, the location website said they had cards only be told when the doors opened they had no cards at all. So it ain’t all roses at Micro Center but they did ultimately come thru for me so I’m grateful for that.
 

If you go there best to be among the first 10 people in line. 

Small world: we boat out of the Rhode River! I really like the Severn,  but prefer the Eastern Bay.

1 hour ago, TheSNAFU said:

Yep that was what I read about their process but in my case at Parkvale, when they opened,  for those seeking a gpu we were sent to a table where they asked what card we wanted. They filled out and gave us a voucher and sent us to the build department. There they took the voucher got some additional info from us and sent us to the front where the cashier pulled the gpu, rang it up and we were on our way! 

How do you determine stock? Look online before?

[firdimigdi]

 

4 hours ago, =AW=drewm3i-VR said:

How do you determine stock? Look online before?

 

http://www.brainjar.com/dhtml/ouija/

[TheSNAFU]

2 hours ago, 335th_GRFirdimigdi said:

 

 

http://www.brainjar.com/dhtml/ouija/

Yes just go to the micro center website and set the store for the one nearest you and the gpu’s you’re interested in. It will show the stock they have. It may show limited availability or the number they have. The limited availability reflects less stock and they may or may not have cards of that type actually available. 

[No_85_Gramps]

Here's a link to a Best Buy page. It lists stores that will have a limited number of Nvidia 3070 ti available tomorrow morning. Alas, none close to me.

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/clp-computers-tablets/nvidia-geforce-rtx-graphics-cards/pcmcat1619723841347.c?id=pcmcat1619723841347&ref=rdr&loc=NVIDIAGraphicsCard

[354thFG_Drewm3i-VR]

9 hours ago, No_85_Gramps said:

Here's a link to a Best Buy page. It lists stores that will have a limited number of Nvidia 3070 ti available tomorrow morning. Alas, none close to me.

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/clp-computers-tablets/nvidia-geforce-rtx-graphics-cards/pcmcat1619723841347.c?id=pcmcat1619723841347&ref=rdr&loc=NVIDIAGraphicsCard

I think I'm going to make the trek. I'll return the 3070 if I get a 3070 ti for less than the 3070 lol.

[Mtnbiker1998]

Just gonna pop in here to join the MD IL-2 gang! 

[kissTheSky]

And I’m a rdbiker, that hasn’t been on the road in 5 weeks

[354thFG_Drewm3i-VR]

18 hours ago, No_85_Gramps said:

Here's a link to a Best Buy page. It lists stores that will have a limited number of Nvidia 3070 ti available tomorrow morning. Alas, none close to me.

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/clp-computers-tablets/nvidia-geforce-rtx-graphics-cards/pcmcat1619723841347.c?id=pcmcat1619723841347&ref=rdr&loc=NVIDIAGraphicsCard

I stopped by the Waldorf store around 715 am...the line was around the building (hundreds of people waiting in line) so I left. I'd rather pay mor for less than deal with that Black Friday-esque train wreck.

Edited July 20, 2021 by =AW=drewm3i-VR

[No_85_Gramps]

8 minutes ago, =AW=drewm3i-VR said:

I stopped by the Waldorf store around 715 am...the line was around the building (hundreds of people waiting in line) so I left. I'd rather pay mor for less than deal with that Black Friday-esque train wreck.

Wow! Probably was to be expected.

[unlikely_spider]

1 hour ago, No_85_Gramps said:

Wow! Probably was to be expected.

Yeah, this was all over the place - even PCGamer had an article stating that Best Buy had some for this morning. You probably had to get there yesterday, hah

[Cynic_Al]

2 hours ago, =AW=drewm3i-VR said:

I stopped by the Waldorf store around 715 am...the line was around the building (hundreds of people waiting in line)

 

Were they showing their faces or wearing bags over their heads?

[354thFG_Drewm3i-VR]

3 hours ago, unlikely_spider said:

Yeah, this was all over the place - even PCGamer had an article stating that Best Buy had some for this morning. You probably had to get there yesterday, hah

It was nuts...wasted 2 hours for nothing. At least I have a 3070 coming tomorrow.

[354thFG_Drewm3i-VR]

Welp, just snagged a 3080 FE on ebay brand new for $1375 so the 3070 will be going back! The pc is coming together!

[Guest deleted@134347]

@=AW=drewm3i-VR

 

hey there,  I live near DC and I have a 2080ti  for sale.

 

The catch:   this board has a water block (EKWB), it was running super cold on my rig before I replaced it with a 3090 hydro.

 

If you never ran customer water loops, don't fret. They are super easy to do and in my 6 year experience of running these setups they never once leaked.  But it'll cost you additional $150-200  (pump, rad+fans, fittings, tube).

 

Let me know if you're interested.

cheerios.

lol, never mind.

 

congrats! ?

[grcurmudgeon]

Best Buy has had a few overpriced AMD cards available on their website the last few days. I'm still dealing with the NewEgg shuffle as $960 (or more) for a 6700XT is too rich for my blood.

[Jaws2002]

Here in Canada, I managed to get the EVGA 3080ti FTW3, in a bundle, with a ryzen 5800x, from Canada Computers. 

 After I sold the CPU on the local kijiji, the graphics card  came just 50 bucks over the official price.

 

It took a while to get used to the 450W of power it sucks, and the heat it exhausts during benchmarks. 

 

It's fast though, Quite a boost from my old  1080ti.

 

Edited August 6, 2021 by Jaws2002