The Tweet That Caught Fire
On February 16, Zotac, a computing hardware manufacturer known for its graphics cards, stirred the pot with a tweet that didn’t just get picked up by the algorithms—it flared up like a fireworks display in the middle of a dry field. The tweet featured a photo of a stack of GeForce RTX 3070 White Edition GPUs with the cheeky caption, “An army of ZOTAC GAMING GPUs hungry for coin!” Now, if you’re wondering why gamers were less than thrilled, it’s because this seemed like a direct invitation to cryptocurrency miners to gobble up the very tools gamers desperately want.
The Mining Rush: A Gamer’s Nightmare
Let’s face it: we all love a good game, but when you hear that an army of GPUs is on standby to help miners rake in cash—is that better or worse than hearing a bear is loose in the neighborhood? In late December 2020, Ether (ETH) miners were reportedly pulling in, wait for it, $12,000 a month by utilizing 78 RTX 3080 GPUs. Since then, the cryptocurrency gold rush hasn’t just continued; it’s exploded like a can of soda after shaking. Double profits by mid-February is a good reason for miners to pounce on GPUs like they’re hotcakes at a Sunday brunch.
Twitter Storm: The Gamers Strike Back
As expected, gamers didn’t take this news lying down. One Twitter user summed it up perfectly: “Too bad those aren’t in the hands of all the gamers and PC enthusiasts as well!” How tragic is it when limited-edition GPUs—those shimmering white beauties—are stuck in limbo while gamers are left refreshing their browser more often than they refresh their snacks during a streaming marathon? Another gamer, with the username MWausE, went straight to the mother of GPUs, tweeting to Nvidia, pleading, “Stop supplying Zotac with any New GPUs!! They are clearly not interested in selling them to loyal gamers.” Talk about a gaming community rising from their chairs!
The Price of GPUs: A Tale of Two Markets
Thanks to this mining mania, the price of Nvidia’s 30 series cards has skyrocketed. Back in September, the RTX 3080 hit shelves with a price tag of $699. By the time February rolled around, that cost had climbed to an average of $1,300. Yikes! It’s like waiting for the next season of your favorite show only to find out the streaming service jacked up the price.
The Company Speaks: Gamers, Don’t Worry?
In the middle of the chaos, Nvidia’s CFO, Colette Kress, assured the gaming community that they were still the priority. This was, according to her, all about increased demand from gamers. Cue the skepticism, right? With miners snatching up every portable computer equipped with the coveted 30 series, including primo laptops built into fully connected mining farms, one has to wonder if gamers are genuinely at the forefront of Nvidia’s business strategy anymore.
