Now out of the cards announced, the RTX 4080 has the biggest leap in price. We knew with the 4090 it would jump above the RTX 3090 but still less than the 3090 Ti.
However, looking back at RTX 3080, that was set to $699 before the shortage situation. Whilst the 12GB model that came later, jumped another $100, which then comes to $799. And the higher 4080 is adding $400 on top, 50% more. So it's more in line with the 3080 Ti launch price.
In the UK the RTX 4090 comes in at a £1,269 MSRP. And a key drawback of the card is the price around the world as it is even higher than the US MSRP. Especially as the Founder's Edition, the cheapest model, is harder to find out there. So it's another factor that may dissuade people from getting it. Especially the big jump in price over last time without as much performance. And at that price, the 4090 isn't too far off.
New technologies and increased costs
Now there are some features that can justify some price increases. With the newer architecture, there are further improvements. With it utilizing newer TSMC 5nm production, it had stated that it would be increasing its pricing. Now that all GPU manufacturers use the same foundry it is felt across the board.
It also has further improved its Tensor core generation improving overall performance and utilization of them. It also has introduced shader execution reordering for improved RT calculation. Along with tech to add to further improve DLSS performance.
Furthermore, it adds more to the VRAM capacity of the cards. Although one may remain similar, the higher spec pushes it even further. Even without an upgrade to the PCIe Gen 5 interface, there are plenty of other additions. If the performance is in fact 2-4x faster than the 3080 Ti then it will be worth it. As long as they do keep releasing lower-end cards as something close to a 3060 Ti would do a good job for a fairer price.