The company says consumers will see the lowest prices “starting April 1, 2022” and will come in “different models throughout the spring”. The explanation is probably invoices, not tricks Yes, I also narrowed my eyes and raised my eyebrows when I heard that the change was about to begin on April Fool’s Day. However, Asus cites a specific reason for the drop in prices – an “increase in tariffs on Chinese imports from the US Office of the Commercial Representative”. In early 2021, the Trump administration began imposing a 25 percent tax on graphics cards imported from China after the tariff exemption from 2018 expired. At the time, Asus told The Verge that it would increase the MSRP of its cards as a result (cited invoices, among other factors). On March 23, however, the United States Commercial Representative Office announced that it would reinstate this exemption by December 31. Given that it has increased its prices due to tariffs, it makes sense that Asus would reduce prices now that the tariffs are gone (although whether they will disappear is a completely different question). However, the question remains: will it make it easier and / or cheaper for me to get a graphics card? The answer is … well, it’s exhausting because of how complicated the electronics market can be in 2022. First of all, it’s hard to imagine that this tariff change will have a significant impact on the lack of a chip, which means that suppliers will still be limited to how many cards they can actually make. Demand was already outstripping supply, but with lower list prices, you may have to compete with even more people who want to buy a GPU and who can suddenly afford a huge price reduction. It is also worth noting one important thing: as Asus told PC Gamer, it reduces the MSRP of its cards. MSRP, of course, means the manufacturer’s suggested retail price – which means that unless Asus has entered into contracts to stop them, retailers could always sell GPUs at the same price and make 25 percent more for to do absolutely nothing. That does not mean they will do it, of course, but it is a possibility. And even if we trust stores to be reasonably priced, can we really expect the same from scalpers and crypto miners trying to get their hands on as many GPUs as possible? With these words, it is not all doom and gloom. One retailer predicted that by April or May, we could see GPU prices approaching the MSRP, according to a TechRadar report. If a major graphics card vendor promises to cut prices by up to a quarter, that could mean really good things for computer makers in the summer – if all goes well. Either way, this drop in price is at least a sign that manufacturers are trying to make graphics cards more affordable for consumers. Now Asus just has to do enough of that to make a difference. MSI, Gigabyte and EVGA did not immediately respond to The Verge when asked if they also had plans to adjust prices based on tariff changes.
