My 7800XT recently died, and it’s still covered by a warranty I got through Micro Center. With the current GPU shortage, their stock is pretty limited. I want to trade in my dead card for something equivalent without paying a ton more out of pocket. Right now, the options I see at my local store are a 7900XT model and a few 5070 and 5070 Ti models that fit my mini ITX case. I’m thinking maybe I should wait until December, right before my warranty expires, to see if prices or availability improve. Any advice or recommendations would be really appreciated!
3 Answers
If you can hold out, waiting seems like the smarter move. The current GPU market is still super unstable, and swapping for something with a higher price tag but only slight performance gains might not be worth it right now. Prices might start to level out in a few months, so holding tight until close to your warranty expiration could save you some cash.
About the warranty trade-in, does Micro Center let you pick any card for the exchange? From what I understand, when you bring in your dead 7800XT, they give you a store gift card for the purchase price ($499 in your case) to put towards whatever’s in stock. That means if you want a more expensive card like the 7900XT or a 5070 Ti, you’ll probably need to cover the price difference out of pocket.
If you haven’t already, it might be worth trying the manufacturer’s RMA process as well, if your card is still under warranty. Sometimes the manufacturer will repair or replace the card without you having to buy a new one. It might save you some hassle and money compared to dealing with the retailer warranty exchange, especially when stock is tight.
