Rising Costs in PC Gaming Hardware
PC gaming has always been an expensive hobby, but recent price spikes have made it feel downright ridiculous. Nvidia’s RTX 50 series now cost nearly as much as an international flight, and a memory supply crisis is also driving up the cost of RAM and SSDs. Motherboards may be the next component to see a significant increase.
Board Channels, a forum for hardware manufacturers and partners, recently featured a post stating that raw material prices for motherboards have risen sharply. PCB board prices are up 15% to 50%, Wi‑Fi modules are up 10% to 20%, and capacitor prices have risen about 50% (Videocardz). These increases are attributed to material shortages caused by the Strait of Hormuz crisis and the ongoing war with Iran.
PPE resin, which acts as the glue binding the layers of a PCB, is largely supplied by Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (SABIC). The company depends on the Strait of Hormuz for shipping its exports, and a Reuters report indicates that its Jubail plant was attacked in April, further straining supply.
According to the forum source, higher raw material costs add at least a 10% impact on motherboard pricing, meaning consumer prices will likely need to rise to keep pace, although the peak may not have been reached yet.
In August, major motherboard manufacturers saw relatively small overall price increases of around 3%, affecting only a limited number of models. Taiwanese brands such as MSI raised prices across the board, while Asus and Gigabyte only increased prices for their core models, with hikes ranging from 5 to 50 yuan. Chinese brands like Colorful and Maxsun raised prices by 10 to 20 yuan, equivalent to about $0.74 to $1.49.
The source adds that there is still room for motherboard costs to rise, and manufacturers may continue to increase prices on certain models in the coming months. With many hardware components already expensive, the situation is likely to get worse before it gets better.
