Graphics cards are going through a global shortage. You can thank the pandemic for that. Chances are that the shortage is going to last for a few more years too. If you want a GPU, then you are going to really need to put effort into getting one. Best Buy has often been a place a lot of people have seen success.
So, when does Best Buy restock graphics cards? Well, at random times. The chip shortage means that new graphics cards are being sent out rather sporadically. This means that some stores could go for weeks without a restock.
Let’s go into a bit of depth on this. Hopefully, the information here can help you to determine the way in which your Best Buy store works.
When Does Best Buy Restock Graphics Cards?
When the chip shortage wasn’t a problem, Best Buy would always try to ensure that the shelves in their stores were well-stocked. This means that they would often have weekly deliveries of new graphics cards, and thus they would always have a restock around the corner.
In these days of chip shortages, this is something that has completely changed. There is no guarantee when Best Buy is going to restock its graphics cards. In some cases, you may find that the graphics cards are restocked once a week, and in other cases, it may be a month or two before the company sees major restocks.
Chances are that if the Best Buy is in a populated area, they are much more likely to restock regularly than Best Buys that are a little bit out of the way.
The staff may be able to tell you when they are next restocking their graphics cards but, once again, since there is a chip shortage, this is never going to be a guarantee.
To check the current price and availability of AMD Graphics cards, click here to view the selection on Amazon.
What Days Does Best Buy Restock Graphics Cards?
In the past, Best Buy would normally restock their graphics cards in time for the weekend. This means on Thursdays/Fridays, and often quite early on in the day.
However, once again, because of the chip shortage, there are going to be ever so slight changes to the schedule here. The stores will change the days that they restock as they restock whenever their next delivery rolls in and, as we said, these are going to be much more sporadic than they were in the past.
Again, you will be able to ask the staff that work at your local Best Buy when they are planning to restock their graphics cards and on what days, but this information may not be accurate.
In our experience, due to the way in which Best Buy restocks work, when stores restock, they always restock on the same day of the week, and often at the same time.
This means that you should try and work out when your local Best Buy normally receives computing equipment deliveries and turn up at the store at roughly the same time to see whether they are going through a restock.
Remember, sometimes it can be incredibly difficult to work out when a restock is actually happening. After all, the graphics cards are taken off of the shelves by other customers almost instantly. If you are even 5-10 minutes late, you may end up leaving the Best Buy store completely empty-handed.
How Many GPUs Does Best Buy Restock?
Whatever they can get their hands on. Again, we absolutely have to point out the chip shortage here.
Some stores may restock with one or two GPUs at a time, while others may get 10-20 in.
In our experience, it seems to be heavily based upon the size of the store. So, you can expect the larger Best Buys in the populated areas to receive more GPUs than the smaller ones in the smaller towns.
This means that you will often have a lot more success focusing your GPU buying efforts on the larger stores. That being said, we have seen some people have success with the smaller stores as the foot traffic is so low that the GPUs, even though they are restocked in smaller quantities, stay on the shelf for a lot longer.
How Much Are Graphics Cards at Best Buy?
Best Buy will always charge the RRP for their graphics cards.
You will never find Best Buy charging more than the RRP. So, if you see an RRP on the manufacturer’s website, then expect this to be the price that you are going to be paying when you head to Best Buy.
Due to the number of people that want graphics cards at the moment, there are not regular sales on these components. This means that you can’t expect to walk into a Best Buy and score yourself a cracking deal on a graphics card. It is either paying the full price or nothing.
What Brands of GPU Does Best Buy Carry?
Best Buy stocks graphics cards made with AMD and Nvidia chips. The most common brands they stock are as follows:
- ASUS
- EVGA
- Sapphire
- Zotac
They may have additional brands on top of this. However, since these four are the most popular GPU brands at the moment, Best Buy is always working overdrive to ensure that they have those brands in stock. Smaller companies may also appear, on occasion.
To check the current price and availability of Nvidia Graphics cards, click here to view the selection on Amazon.
Does Best Buy Sell Graphics Cards Online?
Yes. You will be able to find graphics cards sold online through Best Buy. However, do bear in mind that the online sales are going to be monitored quite heavily by bots. This means that the products are going to sell out a whole lot quicker when they are listed online than if you just went into a store.
Do bear in mind that, in most cases, Best Buy will not allow you to reserve graphics cards for store collection when you see them listed on their website. You will physically have to visit the store. Still, it is a good way to check potential restocks.
Can You Reserve Graphics Cards With Best Buy?
No.
You will always have to turn up to check whether the cards are being restocked. Best Buy does not currently offer a facility that will allow you to reserve a card.
That being said, they have been known to offer a preordering service when a new GPU is released. However, since it is unlikely that a new GPU will be released in the near future, it is likely that this probably won’t have too much of an impact on you if you want a new graphics card sooner as opposed to later.
Final Thoughts
Best Buy, like most other companies, has a stock shortage when it comes to GPUs. This means that it is tough to predict when their GPUs will be restocked, and it can vary wildly between stores.
In most cases, it is likely that the cards will be restocked towards the latter part of the week (Thursday or Friday), but most of the good cards will sell out in a few hours.
You will be able to find GPUs listed on the Best Buy website, but even these will sell out incredibly quickly. You can’t book the cards for collection.