The video reports that Black Friday and Cyber Monday offer limited discounts on local AI hardware, with GPU prices remaining stable or slightly increased due to ongoing supply issues like the international RAM shortage, suggesting that significant price drops may not occur until 2026 or later. The presenter advises buyers to wait if not urgent, highlights the better performance of the RTX 5060 Ti over AMD’s RX 9600 XT, and shares updates on their work with the Prime Intellect 3 AI model.
The video discusses the current state of Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals specifically for local AI hardware, delivering somewhat disappointing news. The only notable deal found was a PNY 16GB RTX 5060 Ti priced at $139.99 on eBay through the Newegg store, with a limit of five per buyer. Aside from that, prices for GPUs like the RTX 3090 remain relatively stable, with models such as the MSI Ventus version available around $439 to $449, close to the MSRP of $429. Overall, the expectation of significant discounts on components like PSUs, motherboards, and CPUs during this shopping season has not materialized; in fact, prices have slightly increased.
The presenter expresses surprise at the high prices given the current weaker economic conditions, noting that historically, hardware prices tend to spike from mid-November through January. Comparing to last year, GPU prices were extremely inflated, with RTX 4090s reaching as high as $30,000 and 3090s around $1,500. Today, 4090s are priced between $1,500 and $1,900, and 3090s can be found for about $725, which is considered stable and a good value. However, the ongoing international RAM crisis is impacting prices across many hardware categories, making the market different and more challenging than previous years.
The video also highlights a multi-year trend where the best time to buy hardware tends to be from September to early October, with prices rising sharply afterward and then gradually declining until the next summer. This pattern has been consistent for several years and is accompanied by a larger price gap between new and used hardware during that period. Given the current RAM shortage and other supply issues, the presenter suggests that price stability or corrections may not occur until mid-2026 or even 2027, and there is a possibility that prices may not decrease significantly at all.
For those considering buying or selling hardware, the presenter advises caution. If you don’t urgently need local AI hardware, it might be better to wait for potential price corrections in the future. Conversely, this period could be an excellent time to sell hardware due to elevated prices, helping others get better deals while benefiting sellers. The presenter also briefly compares the performance of the RTX 5060 Ti to the AMD RX 9600 XT, noting that the Nvidia card offers substantially better performance, at least in games like Battlefield 6.
Finally, the video touches on the presenter’s ongoing work with AI models, specifically Prime Intellect 3, a fine-tuned model based on GLM 4.5 that promises improved quality. Although there are some setup challenges, the presenter is optimistic about its potential and plans to share more content on it soon. Viewers are encouraged to explore additional resources on setting up local AI rigs and home lab hardware through linked playlists and tutorials, despite the current lack of attractive hardware deals.