Over the course of the cryptocurrency boom, graphics card makers have pledged to try and aid gamers in the GPU shortage through various means. Nvidia has managed to make some effort towards this, replenishing some of its stock in the UK but it seems that the green team is still “not anywhere near close” to meeting demand.

As most people are already aware, graphics card prices have been soaring over the past year, with a lot of the blame falling on cryptocurrency miners gobbling up all of the stock before it can reach retail, where gamers can get their hands on them. The shortage of internal components has also been cited as a reason for this, as well as conspiracy theorists attributing the low stock to the will of GPU makers themselves.

Like its competitor, Nvidia issued a statement trying to help its consumer base by reassuring them that stock would eventually rise and that the company had plans in place to help achieve such a challenging goal.

The first step was to ask retailers to step in and limit the amount they were selling, although the manufacturer had no real say in how business is conducted by these third-party stores. Secondly, it ramped up its production line, hoping to replenish the stock as quickly as it was going out.

The stock that Nvidia did manage to replenish in the UK retailed for its MSRP prices and has already sold out. Nvidia’s CEO, Jensen Huang recognises that the company has “to build more,” but despite the video supply chain’s best efforts to address the issue, supply was “not anywhere near close” to the demand, according to TechCrunch.

“We’re sold out of many of our high-end SKUs, and so it’s a real challenge keeping [graphic cards] in the marketplace for games,” explains Huang. Although he understands the philosophy of cryptocurrency, he states that he is “frustrated so many developers and gamers around the world cannot get access to their GeForces.”

This is an ongoing problem for the company, as Nvidia still has a lot invested in G-Sync monitors and other peripherals that are wasted on cryptocurrency miners. It also has to worry about the impending burst of the cryptocurrency bubble flooding in a plethora of second hand units, which is likely to tempt those who have waited more so than a newer, more expensive card.

KitGuru Says: For now, it seems that we’re still stuck with low supply and inflated prices. It’s worth keeping your eye out though, as Nvidia’s latest batch didn’t sell for a penny above its MSRP, even if it did sell out in record times. Are you still waiting for an upgrade or replacement GPU?

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