Image Credit – MSI
So right now a few of might be saying something like “so what…toasters make toast”. Before you get upset, this news update is not for you. It’s for the people who don’t know the ins and outs of the SFF world yet.
One thing I like to do is keep an eye on the 200mm and shorter market of GPUs to see where the stock levels are. A year ago, you would have had to pay $800 for an RTX 3060 ITX style card, and likely used a Chinese importer. That’s how we had to do it for our MSI Aero ITX 3060ti review. Now a quick look at New Egg shows six RTX 3060s going for as little as $355 (MSI Aero ITX) that would fit in some of the smallest of small SFF cases. Four are dual fan models, while two are single fan units. All are sold and shipped from New Egg USA.
Image Credit – New Egg
It’s good to see these options listed out there again. Moreover, they’re actually on sale.Why do I bring this up? Simple: I’ve talked to a lot of people who have been so burned by the GPU shortage that they immediately have been going to eBay or suspicious 3rd party seller sites and getting ripped off. No, $500 is NOT a good deal on an ITX sized RTX 3060. Check out these eBay auctions.
Image Credit – Ebay
Do not, I repeat, do not buy these.
Also, please don’t spend $650 for the MSI Aero ITX 3060tTi version of the card. Yes, it’s the current unicorn of SFF GPUs. That time is changing though. Nvidia will be launching their 4000 series followups relatively soon, and the 3060Ti is going to either look:
1. Slow
2. Power Hungry
3. Both
It’s not a good idea. If you have money to waste, then go for it. It’s a good card for what it is, and I speak from experience. It’s just not worth the asking price right now.
