Great, now motherboard prices might be next to spike thanks to component costs increasing by up to 50%

Motherboard prices might be on the verge of rising as component costs soar by as much as 50%, according to recent reports. The escalating cost of PC gaming hardware is already a familiar complaint, with Nvidia's RTX 50-series graphics cards priced close to an international flight. The memory supply crisis and memory shortages are contributing to the rise in RAM and SSD prices. Now, it appears motherboards could be the next victims of escalating component costs.

The Board Channels forum for hardware manufacturers and partners revealed that the price of motherboard printed circuit boards (PCBs) has jumped between 15% and 50%. Wi-Fi modules have increased by 10% to 20%, and capacitor prices have also risen by approximately 50%. The cause of these price hikes is traced back to the Strait of Hormuz crisis and ongoing Iran war, which has disrupted the supply of materials, including PPE resin, a crucial component in motherboard manufacturing.

Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (SABIC), the primary supplier of high-quality PPE resin, was attacked in April, further exacerbating the situation.

Although initial price increases were modest, around 3%, Taiwanese brands like MSI, Asus, and Gigabyte have started raising prices, particularly for their flagship models. Domestic Chinese brands, such as Colorful and Maxsun, have increased prices by 10-20 yuan, equivalent to $0.74 to $7.44. Despite the relatively small increases, the article warns that there is still potential for motherboard costs to escalate further, indicating that prices may continue to rise for select models in the coming months.

The author concludes that the trend of increasing hardware prices is likely to persist before any potential improvement.