Considering when this thread was made, the prices have come down massively. A GTX 1650 NIB was over $300 back then. Anything RTX or RDNA was insanely priced, unless you got through the EVGA queue or were picked in the Newegg shuffle. The shuffle usually forced you to buy something else on top of the card too.
Now we are back to the typical whinging of not being able to think in adjusted dollars. And picking apart bang for buck metics vs previous generations like a true Ferengi.
For better or worse, other hobbies have warped my sense of value when it comes to PC components and while I do still try to eek out value a couple hundred bucks to do it "right" is so much easier for me to justify now.
This is a relief in many ways
It makes me regret not sending you that GTX 980Ti :/ Maybe I am less cured than I thought
That said, waiting for the RDNA5 flagship cards vs whatever Nvidia is willing to ship at that point to reset prices for the "best of the best" to ~$2,500+ and all the pearl clutching that will incur. Looking at what folks are wiling to drop on motorcycles, jet skis, wood working tools and all the rest leads me to believe that both companies will explore how deep our pockets are and how big their per card margins can be.
Think of the shareholders! They owe it to them