With the GeForce RTX 3080 set to launch a week later on September 17, expectations are high for Nvidia's high-end next-generation graphics card. However, getting your hands on one may be difficult.

Our colleagues at "Tom's Hardware" reported that cryptanalysts have shown great interest in the performance of the RTX 3080 for "mining" cryptocurrencies. Referring to a tweet from regular leaker @momomo, Tom's Hardware noted that there has been a lot of interest from China about the GPU's power and price of $699, which presents a strong cost-performance ratio with respect to crypto mining. [Cryptocurrency mining, such as Bitcoin, uses computers to solve complex equations to generate digital currency. Such calculations are extremely demanding. However, using parallel processing, which GPUs excel at, they can perform calculations faster than CPUs. Therefore, graphics cards, especially those with large power, are very attractive to cryptanalysts.

Therefore, people eager to set up machines to mine cryptocurrencies can rush out and buy the latest graphics cards in bulk. The result is a vicious cycle in which the supply of new GPUs dwindles and retailers drive up prices. We have seen this happen in several countries with GeForce RTX 2000 series graphics cards.

There have also been rumors of possible stock shortages of new Nvidia cards, including the GeForce RTX 3090 and RTX 3070. Coupled with high demand, it may be difficult to find new RTX 3000 series graphics cards at launch.

This is all speculation based on rumors and hearsay. However, it is worth keeping in mind if you plan to build a new gaming PC at the end of 2020.