Pre-pandemic I was able to build a pc with part 1 generation behind current, including the case and a reasonable cooling system (air) for $500 Canadian. Now you can’t even get a modern graphics card for that much. So no, this is definitely a recent thing.
I built my current desktop at the start of the pandemic, the 20xx series was being bought by more people, the most expensive part was the 1060 I bought second hand for $200. It still came to just over $500 with all the parts. Yes I reused my case, cooling system, storage and power supply.
Pre-pandemic I was able to build a pc with part 1 generation behind current, including the case and a reasonable cooling system (air) for $500 Canadian. Now you can’t even get a modern graphics card for that much. So no, this is definitely a recent thing.
I built my current desktop at the start of the pandemic, the 20xx series was being bought by more people, the most expensive part was the 1060 I bought second hand for $200. It still came to just over $500 with all the parts. Yes I reused my case, cooling system, storage and power supply.
I mainly blame all the morons who kept buying VGAs even though ridiculously overpriced, letting manufacturers know that they could go on like that.