Prices for building a new PC have skyrocketed in recent weeks, leaving many enthusiasts with little hope for affordable upgrades in the coming months.
The culprit behind this surge? A perfect storm of rising costs and crippling shortages. Specifically, RAM prices have more than tripled, while SSD storage is on track to follow suit. But it's not just RAM; AMD's CPUs and GPUs are also expected to see significant price hikes, making a new build a potentially costly proposition.
AMD's latest moves have been met with skepticism by industry insiders, who point out that the company has a history of price gouging. A recent rumor suggests that AMD plans to increase prices on all current products, including the popular Ryzen 7 9800X3D, by tens of dollars. The company allegedly informed its partners of these changes just last week.
But it's not just the CPUs that will be hit hard; graphics cards are also expected to see significant price increases. According to a tip from renowned GPU leaker harukaze5719, AMD's GPUs will see universal price hikes, with 8GB models increasing by $20 and 16GB models rising by $40.
The implications of these price hikes are far-reaching. With memory prices on the rise, PC builders can expect higher costs for everything from RAM to graphics cards. This could make it even more difficult for enthusiasts to upgrade their rigs without breaking the bank.
One silver lining is that some companies may find ways to mitigate the impact of these price increases by adjusting their product offerings. For example, Steam Machine, a small-form PC/console hybrid developed by Valve, will use a semi-custom AMD-designed SoC with 8GB VRAM โ a configuration that's unlikely to break the bank.
However, for most consumers, this means one thing: the current era of affordable PC upgrades is coming to an end. With prices expected to rise significantly in the coming months, it may become increasingly difficult for enthusiasts to build or upgrade their rigs without sacrificing significant amounts of cash.
The culprit behind this surge? A perfect storm of rising costs and crippling shortages. Specifically, RAM prices have more than tripled, while SSD storage is on track to follow suit. But it's not just RAM; AMD's CPUs and GPUs are also expected to see significant price hikes, making a new build a potentially costly proposition.
AMD's latest moves have been met with skepticism by industry insiders, who point out that the company has a history of price gouging. A recent rumor suggests that AMD plans to increase prices on all current products, including the popular Ryzen 7 9800X3D, by tens of dollars. The company allegedly informed its partners of these changes just last week.
But it's not just the CPUs that will be hit hard; graphics cards are also expected to see significant price increases. According to a tip from renowned GPU leaker harukaze5719, AMD's GPUs will see universal price hikes, with 8GB models increasing by $20 and 16GB models rising by $40.
The implications of these price hikes are far-reaching. With memory prices on the rise, PC builders can expect higher costs for everything from RAM to graphics cards. This could make it even more difficult for enthusiasts to upgrade their rigs without breaking the bank.
One silver lining is that some companies may find ways to mitigate the impact of these price increases by adjusting their product offerings. For example, Steam Machine, a small-form PC/console hybrid developed by Valve, will use a semi-custom AMD-designed SoC with 8GB VRAM โ a configuration that's unlikely to break the bank.
However, for most consumers, this means one thing: the current era of affordable PC upgrades is coming to an end. With prices expected to rise significantly in the coming months, it may become increasingly difficult for enthusiasts to build or upgrade their rigs without sacrificing significant amounts of cash.