[robotresearcher]

$3k is within reach for most labs. It’s lot of money for an individual. But a PhD researcher’s annual salary is probably more than 35 times that amount in a coastal city. An ML researcher could easily be 200 times that amount.

A new assistant professor at a medium sized school in North America can afford a few of these.

This is a cheap bit of equipment for a professional researcher.

It’s an expensive bit of equipment for an independent researcher or student, or someone in a poorer part of the world. But why would anyone expect the best kit for hobby prices?

[slizard]

I'm saddened by the arrogance you display. Does your definition of "world" really not go beyond the "coastal cities" and "North America"? Are you seriously assuming there are no ML researchers outside of the cozy little world you're referring to? People in the Middle-East, Balkans, South-Asia, etc. should not worry about "high-end kit", they should stick to "hobby" stuff?

(In case if this all leaves you baffled, e.g. assistant professors will often earn 2-4 TITAN V's worth of money per year in places like Eastern Europe -- and that's still on the map of the "Western world" by most definitions.)

> It’s an expensive bit of equipment for an independent researcher or student, or someone in a poorer part of the world.

Allow me to correct you: that is _much_ (if not most) of the world.

> But why would anyone expect the best kit for hobby prices?

Strawmen. Please read my point again (and see the concrete examples of affordable "kit" that can be used to target the high-end HPC iron).

[robotresearcher]

Excellent equipment for cheap would be great. I hope you get your wish as soon as possible.