RX 7000 in clearance vs RTX 5090 at €4,299: the only good GPU deal of summer 2026

Useful reminder: the recommended price of the 5090 at launch was €2,349 for the Founders Edition. We are now at 4 299 € minimum , soit près du double. Sur DropReference, les 37 références en stock démarrent à ce niveau-là et grimpent bien plus haut selon les modèles custom.

The reasons are known and stacked on top of each other. GDDR7 costs 30% more than a year ago because Samsung and SK Hynix favor HBM3E for AI accelerators. US tariffs have reshuffled the entire logistics. And Nvidia no longer has any commercial reason to sell GB202 cheaply when the same silicon wafer goes to the data center at a much more attractive price.

Add to that Nvidia is not releasing none new gaming GPU in 2026. No RTX 60, no Super refresh. When the supply is fixed and the demand remains, the price goes up. Basic economy.

A 5090 at €4,299, that's €1,800 more than the launch price for exactly the same performance. You're not paying for power, you're paying for rarity.

On the other side, AMD is emptying its boxes. The RDNA 3 range is no longer in production, the RX 9000 have taken over the mid-range, and European retailers still have stock to clear before the return.

Result: prices we hadn't seen since the release of these cards. Here are the lowest prices recorded on DropReference on August 15, 2026, all sellers combined.

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Not all discounted RX 7000 are good deals. Some are just outdated cards at a slightly less ridiculous price. We sort.

It's the one that sends the most. 16GB of VRAM, 1440p ultra without sweating, and a price that puts it €46 below an RX 9070 which is significantly faster but also significantly more expensive in real-world usage if you play in 1440p.

Interesting models: Sapphire Pulse at €522, ASRock Challenger at €711 (to avoid, it's absurd), and especially entry-level models that go down to €499. The difference between €499 and €711 for the same chip is the kind of thing that makes you understand why you need to compare before buying.

The GRE has always been the forgotten card in the range. 16GB, performance between 7800 XT and 7900 XT, and chaotic availability. Today it is at €623 at XFX, €626 at Sapphire. At this price, it outperforms an RTX 5070 (€635) in pure rasterization, with an additional 4GB of VRAM.

The downside: in ray tracing, the 5070 regains the advantage, and DLSS 4 remains ahead of FSR. If you play heavy RT titles, think about it. Otherwise, it's a very good deal.

8 GB is short in 2026, let's be clear. But at 264 €, for 1080p in high, it's coherent. The problem is that the RX 9060 XT is at 334 €, which is 70 € more, with a more recent architecture and a better encoder. On a tight budget, the 70 € hurt; over three years of use, they pay off.

• RX 7900 XT at 727 € — the RX 9070 XT is at €711, more recent, more efficient. No reason to take the older one more expensive.
• RX 7700 XT at 479 € — Only 12 GB, and the 7800 XT at €499 crushes it for €20 more. The choice is quickly made.
• RX 7900 XTX at 929 € — remains a beast in 4K rasterized, but at this price level you hit the RTX 5070 Ti (962 €) which has DLSS 4 and a much better RT.

It seems contradictory, but both movements have the same origin: production.

AMD has stopped RDNA 3. What remains on the shelf is dead stock that costs money to store. A reseller prefers to sell a 7800 XT for €499 today than keep it for six months in a warehouse hoping for €550. It's classic liquidation, not generosity.

Nvidia, for its part, still produces the GB202 — but in limited quantities, and it has no competitor above €1,500. AMD has nothing against the 5090. Neither does Intel. So the price follows the only variable that remains: what people are willing to pay.

Add the increase announced by Gigabyte (20 to 40% across the entire RTX 5000 range) and you understand that the movement is not over. MSI and ASUS will follow, it's a matter of weeks.

Clearance also means crazy price differences on exactly the same GPU. We saw the 7800 XT at €499 and at €827 on the same day, from different sellers. Same chip, same VRAM, same card or almost.

• Compare before clicking. A price difference of €200 on the same reference is common during a clearance sale.
• Check the warranty. On old stock, some third-party sellers offer refurbished cards presented as new.
• Look at the VRAM before the name. A 7800 XT 16GB at €520 is better than a 7700 XT 12GB at €479.
• Beware of "promos" on high-end products. A 5090 at €4,100 instead of €4,500, it's not a promo, it's just a less crazy price.

And above all: do not rush into the very high end. The enthusiast 4K segment is completely broken right now. Waiting six months will cost you nothing but a little patience.

Until exhausted, and the stock is quickly dwindling. Some references like the 7900 GRE or the 7900 XTX now have only 2 models listed on DropReference. Expect a few weeks, not a few months.

Yes. 16GB of VRAM is the real longevity criterion today, and it has as much as an RX 9070. You lose on energy efficiency and ray tracing, not on the ability to run games in 1440p.

No, because they are not arriving in 2026. Nvidia confirmed zero new gaming GPUs this year, the Rubin generation is expected in 2027 at best. Waiting is waiting 18 months.

GDDR7 memory cost on the rise, customs duties, lack of competition, and production geared towards AI. The four factors are pushing in the same direction. There is no indication of a short-term downturn.

AMD, without hesitation, on this specific segment. The RX 7800 XT at €499 and the RX 9070 at €545 have no Nvidia equivalent at the same price. Nvidia becomes relevant again above €900 and below €350.

This summer 2026, there is exactly one good GPU deal: the RX 7000 clearance, mainly the 7800 XT around €500 and the 7900 GRE around €620. Everything else is either just okay, or frankly to be avoided.

The Nvidia high-end is out of the game. A 5090 at €4,299, it's not a purchase, it's a statement. And since no new card is coming before 2027, patience costs nothing.

In short: if you play in 1440p and have €500 in your pocket, it's now. Otherwise, let it pass.