Modern GPUs are an incredible bargain

You can thank Moore’s law for that.

June 16, 2025

Jon Peddie

Nvidia launched the first GPU in 1999 with the GeForce 256, introducing hardware T&L to off-load CPU workloads. The 2001 GeForce 3 added programmable shaders, starting a new era in graphics. Shader counts soared from dozens to tens of thousands by 2025, evolving through unified shader models and AI acceleration. Nvidia’s 2017 Tensor Cores marked a pivot to AI, now central in gaming and data centers. Despite massive performance leaps, GPU prices have risen modestly. With chips like Blackwell boasting 92 billion transistors, Nvidia continues to push performance far beyond Moore’s law—delivering greater power per dollar than ever. Nvidia made

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Modern GPUs are an incredible bargain

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