Navigating the hardware market in 2026 is poised to become significantly more challenging as a global DRAM shortage continues to ripple through the electronics industry. While consumers have already felt the sting of rising costs for RAM and SSDs, graphics cards are the next major category slated for a price hike.
According to reports emerging from the Board Channels forums, both NVIDIA and AMD are bracing for substantial price adjustments on their GPU lineups starting in early 2026. Current memory supply agreements locked in at legacy rates are set to expire by the end of 2025. New contracts will inevitably reflect current market premiums, driving up component costs and overall manufacturing expenses for video cards.
For NVIDIA, the upward price trajectory is expected to begin in February, while AMD’s shifts may take effect as early as January, following the conclusion of the fourth quarter of 2025. Industry analysts suggest this is merely the beginning, with the situation potentially deteriorating further throughout the year. Furthermore, while NVIDIA is rumored to be planning the release of an RTX 50 Super series, the ongoing memory crunch casts a shadow over its launch viability and retail availability.
The impact extends to the console market as well, with hardware prices potentially climbing by 10% to 15%. For gamers planning a system overhaul or a new build, the window of opportunity is narrowing; securing hardware now may be the most prudent move before market conditions tighten further.
Source: iXBT.games