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Black Friday week is fully underway at major retailers, and I've been keeping a close eye on GPU deals. Why? I'm expecting prices to soar in the new year due to an AI-driven memory shortage, making this the perfect time to finally invest in a new GPU.
The GPU market is about to get crazy again in 2026, making now the perfect time to buy
The GPU market is only now just settling down to the point where buying a new card at MSRP isn't a complete fantasy, but here comes the next crisis threatening to once again drive prices way up.
I'm talking about the current memory shortages driven by the frantic buildout of AI datacenters. So far, it's mainly affecting consumer RAM and storage prices, but AMD has stated that its Radeon GPU prices could increase by at least 10%. NVIDIA hasn't made any similar public statements, but it's hard to imagine it won't also feel the memory crunch. That makes this Black Friday and Cyber Monday a crucial time to pick up a new GPU before prices skyrocket again.
Don't get me wrong — the two cards I'm highlighting here aren't exactly affordable, but that's the reality of PC gaming these days. The best you can hope for is a decent discount, which is exactly why I'm focusing on the RTX 5070 and the RX 9070 XT.
So, which one is better for you? That depends on any standing allegiances to brands and what else you have in your PC. If you're an AMD stan, clearly the RX 9070 XT is the better choice.
The RX 9070 XT is also going to deliver superior performance at 1440p and especially 4K compared to the RTX 5070. It has more VRAM to better set you up for the future of gaming, and AMD's FSR 4 upscaling tech keeps getting better.
On the other hand, the NVIDIA RTX 5070 with 12GB of VRAM is $100 cheaper and can still deliver a stellar experience at 1440p with a bit of dabbling in 4K. NVIDIA's DLSS 4 tech is still superior to FSR 4, so if you're a fan of ray tracing and don't mind adding some "fake" frames, the result can be close to magic.
The RX 9070 XT is down to $599.99 at Amazon, while the RTX 5070 is down to $479.99 at Newegg, and both are listed as best sellers. I have no idea how long the deals will actually last, so if you're in the market for a new card, I recommend not waiting too long.
More Black Friday 2025 - quick links
- The very best Black Friday deals from all categories
- Mini PC deals: up to 47% off tiny PCs
- GPU deals: early price drops on NVIDIA RTX before they go up
- Microsoft Surface deals: save up to $500 on premium PCs
- Xbox accessories: best deals on gadgets for your Xbox Series X|S and PC
- Gaming laptop deals: the best laptops for the best price
- Xbox controllers: our top picks for best controller deals
- Samsung monitors: the best Samsung display deals we've found
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