system
A chat on subreddit /r/pcmasterrace
human
Yep, bingo.

Imagine the auto industry did something similar.  Right now, you can get a reliable, low-end new car that can get you to work and back for around $20k from several manufacturers.  If you want something mid-range with some luxury options, up it to $40k or $50k.  Want luxury (but not exotic movie star Lambo luxury)?  Be prepared to spend close to 6 figures.  It's reasonable, and even with inflation and shortages, these expectations keep the industry grounded and keep things affordable to people who aren't rich.

Imagine instead that all these prices doubled, or tripled.  A low-end new car that'll get you down the road but won't impress anybody now bottoms out around $50k.  Everything else goes up proportionally.

"But you're just obsessed with having the best of the best!  My junker from the 90s still gets me down the road (sometimes), and it only cost me $5000 used!  Who cares if bottom-tier new cars now cost $50k, lower your standards, Scrooge McDuck!"  No.  We're not looking for luxury, or top of the line - nobody's complaining about the sky-high price of some mining rig made out of dozens of top-of-the-line GPUs, or even 4090s, we just want SOMETHING (including the lower quality cards) from the current (or even last) gen cards to be in the general area of the price range that they always have been.  You shouldn't have to buy a used card, or a card from 3 or 4 generations back that struggles with anything modern, to not be flirting with or exceeding $1,000 for a single PC component.
gpt
Only sensible reply that understands the issue at hand. Insane that I had to wait this long to read this.