TECH NEWS – According to an analyst firm, significant price increases are expected in the second half of 2026 for several reasons.
IDC estimates that buying a new PC next year will be expensive for consumers due to widespread price increases in the supply chain. The memory supercycle is becoming a nightmare for PC gamers, especially those looking to build a complete configuration. In recent weeks, RAM prices have skyrocketed, and AMD and Nvidia are considering raising their product prices in line with the rising cost of general-purpose DRAM. In its 2026 market analysis, IDC provided an outlook on the future of PC gaming. Based on their observations, next year could be challenging for the PC gaming community.
According to IDC, the timing of the memory shortage is ideal for creating a stir in the PC industry, as it coincides with the end of the Windows 10 lifecycle and the launch of the marketing campaign for AI PCs. PC manufacturers are signaling widespread price increases as cost pressures intensify in the second half of 2026. Lenovo, Dell, HP, Acer, and Asus have warned their customers to expect tougher conditions and confirmed that industry-wide responses will likely include 15%-20% price increases and contract renegotiations.
IDC expects PC shipments to decline by 4.9% next year. However, this decline could be greater if the memory situation deteriorates further. Additionally, IDC mentions that larger OEM manufacturers are expected to gain market share over local manufacturers, who often offer DIY systems. This is because larger OEM manufacturers can offer attractive, pre-built value systems. Ultimately, this will force gamers to purchase complete configurations instead of individual components, so custom PCs may also become significantly more expensive next year.
Additionally, enthusiasm for AI PCs is expected to decline next year. In-device AI features, such as Copilot+, require larger RAM configurations. Memory supply constraints will ultimately force manufacturers to abandon edge AI. Manufacturers will be unable to maintain prices and larger RAM configurations for mid-range laptops, which are expected to use 8 GB of memory as standard due to memory shortages.
2026 could be one of the most challenging years for purchasing new PC components, surpassing the era of the pandemic and cryptocurrency mining in terms of the intensity of supply chain disruption.
