While both AMD and Nvidia make some of the best graphics cards, pitting the two against each other usually reveals that Nvidia dominates the GPU market with an over 80% share. However, a new survey revealed that, at least in the recent weeks, many gamers preferred to go with AMD when buying a GPU. But how long will this surprising lead even last?
Market share AMD RDNA4 vs nVidia Blackwell according to a @ComputerBase survey
👉 Of course, this primarily shows who was able to deliver. So, AMD was able to ship twice as many RX9000 cards in one week than nVidia RTX50 cards since the end of January.https://t.co/pypV0eUHPm pic.twitter.com/ceEfqDMyrh— 3DCenter.org (@3DCenter_org) March 12, 2025
This surprising reveal comes from a ComputerBase survey that was later shared by 3DCenter. According to the survey, a whopping 71% of ComputerBase readers bought an AMD RX 9000 series GPU as opposed to buying Nvidia’s RTX 50-series. The rest of the participants opted to buy an older GPU instead, taking advantage of falling GPU prices.
This is a dramatic flip on the usual state of things, but there are a few reasons why we’re seeing AMD dominate the GPU market all of a sudden.
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First of all, the survey doesn’t take into account the RTX 5070, which has recently launched and would likely tip the numbers more in Nvidia’s favor (although I can’t see it beating the RX 9070 XT in this particular survey). However, due to limited stock, the GPU may not have made as much of a splash as it would’ve otherwise. That brings me to my second (and main) point: AMD and its partners succeeded in delivering the RX 9070 XT and the RX 9070 to retailers in time for launch. Nvidia, unfortunately, did not.
Availability, or lack thereof, likely affected the numbers in a major way here. There’s no beating around the bush: Many people default to Nvidia regardless of the type of product that AMD puts out. However, when Nvidia’s GPUs launch with nothing available to buy, gamers turn elsewhere, as can be seen in the ComputerBase survey. It’s also worth noting that some enthusiast websites favor Team Red over Team Green, so take these results with a grain of salt.
AMD also managed to surprise everyone in a good way by not pricing the GPUs too high, making them an affordable alternative to Nvidia equivalents. However, some cards still cost up to $250 more than the MSRP, and some retailers claim that the prices will rise.
Meanwhile, Nvidia is slowly filling in the stock of its graphics cards. Many are still hard to come by, and even if they’re in stock, they cost more than they should. But, as things begin to even out, we might see the scales once again tipping in Nvidia’s direction — as they always do.
Monica is a computing writer at Digital Trends, focusing on PC hardware. Since joining the team in 2021, Monica has written…
AMD RX 9060 XT might not be the Nvidia-beating GPU we first thought
A new leak tells me that AMD’s RX 9060 XT may repeat the same mistake as the RX 7600 XT, all the while missing out on a chance to win against rival Nvidia. While AMD’s RX 9060 XT may not compete against some of the best graphics cards, it’s going to be a mainstream card, which is great news for gamers. The downside, as is often the case, might lie in VRAM.
As shown in this listing filed with the Eurasian Economic Commission (EEC), Acer has just registered several new trademarks for its upcoming GPUs. This includes the Acer Predator Bifrost RX 9060 XT OC in two variants: One with 8GB VRAM and one with 16GB.
PSA: If you bought an Nvidia RTX 50, check it for problems
To say Nvidia’s RTX 50 graphics card launch has gone poorly would be an incredible understatement. There are almost no cards in stock, despite Nvidia shutting down last-generation production at the end of last year to prepare for it, but the cards that are our there are failing in all sorts of ways. From driver and BIOS issues, to melting power cables, and even missing hardware on the GPU die itself.
If you were “lucky” enough to get hold of one of these cards, you really need to make sure you got what you paid for.
Make sure you’re using the right cables
Best graphics cards you can actually buy right now
If you’ve taken even a cursory glance at the graphics card market lately, you’ve probably put your head your hands in despair. It’s rough out there right now, with Nvidia’s new RTX 50-series cards impossible to find and outrageously overpriced on second hand markets, and it’s last-generation RTX 40-series all but sold out and no-longer in production. AMD’s best alternatives are likewise absent while we await the impending launch of the RX 9070 and 9070 XT — and we have everything crossed they’ll be available in good quantities.
But if your PC just died or you don’t want to be an early adopter of a new GPU that could melt your power connectors, what are you supposed to do? While second-hand cards are always an option, it’s a tricky one to recommend since you never know what those cards were used for, or even if you’re actually buying a box trying to lure in scalper bots.
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