Price Guides December 2003: The Year in Component Prices

ATI made much headway in the mid and low range market as well.  We were not pleased that the 9600 Pro eventually became slower than the 9500 Pro (consumer confusion), but we were relatively happy with the performance.  Of course the lack of any true DirectX 9 games have been extremely discouraging.  Half Life 2, the DirectX 9 spearhead, had an unfortunate problem that ended up delaying its release further than it already was.  As ATI and NVIDIA (NV40) gear up to tape out another chipset and take yet another swing at each other, consumers watch idle; confused.

We hope you enjoyed our brief analysis of the year in component pricing.  From the incredible success of the Opteron launch to the dismal defeat of NV30, 2003 produced some of the best and worst investments of the computer industry.  It is clear that the volatility of this industry obtained a level we have not seen in the past.  Was 2003 an omen to future component prices, or an unfortunate fluke that will subside in 2004?