Price Hikes May Be Coming for PC Motherboards Next
For PC enthusiasts who’ve already lived through SSD price hikes and RAMageddon, there could be more bad news ahead.
Recent reports from a Chinese forum suggest that PC motherboard prices may increase significantly in the near future. Boards Channels, a Chinese forum, reportedly claims that motherboard manufacturers like ASUS, Gigabyte, and MSI could raise prices due to rising material costs by up to 50%. However, the link to the original report no longer works, and a screenshot from various tech websites only serves to confirm the speculation.
PC gaming communities have already witnessed a surge in the prices of hard drives and SSDs due to increased demand for RAM (often referred to as "RAMageddon") resulting from data center needs for AI applications and supply chain issues. Experts believe that motherboard prices, which rely on memory chips and copper, may also experience a price hike due to the broader impact of AI on various electronic components.
Cassandra Cummings, CEO of Thomas Instrumentation Inc., a company specializing in electronics design and manufacturing, explained that the war in Iran has further exacerbated material shortages, with factories damaged and shipping logistics disrupted, which may also result in a cost increase for the PC motherboard industry. Joshua Goshorn, senior director at Quandary Peak Research, found the Board Channels report credible, as the demand for PCBs (printed circuit boards) and the necessary materials and processes for producing PC motherboards is high.
However, the increase in motherboard prices might not be as severe as the ones experienced in the RAM and hard drive markets. Although motherboard production is still ramping up, Goshorn believes that relief in pricing for consumers may not be imminent. The head of custom PC builder Maingear, Wallace Santos, acknowledged that while motherboards have remained relatively stable in pricing compared to storage and memory, price increases could still be on the horizon.
He advised PC enthusiasts to make their upgrade decisions sooner rather than later to avoid the next round of cost hikes.
Written by urgent.news from CNET's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
