Well, gamers are curious about how to time their 'PC purchases', especially with the ongoing memory shortages, and it appears that the best time would probably be right now.
MAINGEAR's CEO Says GPU & RAM Prices Are Expected to Increase Moving Ahead, Driven by DRAM Demand
The PC industry is facing a challenging time navigating its way through the supply constraints developed by the massive DRAM demand driven by the AI industry. This has ultimately prompted an 'aggressive' rise in consumer memory prices, and it is expected that segments like gaming GPUs, laptops, and other devices will eventually become significantly more expensive as well. We managed to sit down with MAINGEAR's CEO, Wallace Santos, who provided us with insight into the current state of the retail supply chain, aiming to guide PC gamers through this challenging period.
One of the more frequently asked questions regarding the current PC supply chain situation is whether gamers should wait for their anticipated PC upgrades or 'rush' on them to be on the safer side. We did ask MAINGEAR's CEO about this, and based on what Santos says, the ongoing deals season is probably one of the best times to acquire newer components, as indicators suggest that PC upgrades will be significantly more expensive in the coming months.
Question: With analysts projecting that memory shortages could extend into 2027, what advice would you offer consumers, whether building their first PC or upgrading an existing system, on how to navigate rising prices and potential component constraints?
MAINGEAR's CEO: We’ve already seen DRAM prices skyrocket due to the shortages and are holding off those price changes for our customers as long as we can. For consumers that are interested in getting a new PC or upgrading their current system’s GPU, SSD or RAM, they should consider shopping now and looking for offerings that have not seen price increases yet. MAINGEAR is offering pre-built units for Black Friday right now that were sheltered from these price increases.
It appears that system integrators like MAINGEAR believe that the retail situation for PC components hasn't 'deteriorated' too much, and that the prices right now look decent relative to what's coming ahead for gamers. Santos says that for customers looking to upgrade, whether it is bumping up RAM capacity or switching to current-gen GPUs from NVIDIA/AMD, the Black Friday sales are a great opportunity to do so. And, based on the deals we have seen within the past few days, such as AMD's Radeon RX 9070 XT dropping to an all-time low, gamers shouldn't ignore these deals.
MAINGEAR has also disclosed to us that the lead times for RAM modules are expected to become constrained moving ahead, which means that not only will we see inflated prices across retail platforms, but consumer memory could go 'out of stock' with time if the DRAM shortage intensifies. For now, the supply chain has maintained current prices and stock by essentially acquiring a large inventory before the initial shortages arose, but the stockpile is sufficient to last only a few months.
We work closely with our suppliers and we’ve been proactively securing inventory so that our customers don’t suddenly see their dream build blocked by a RAM kit during Black Friday and Cyber Monday. I anticipate that the prices will continue to rise and then we will eventually have to increase our lead times as stock and allocation becomes constrained, but we are in constant communication with our vendors and will delay these increases for as long as we possibly can.
Well, one of the reasons for talking with MAINGEAR is that the situation of system integrators and retailers is changing 'dramatically' in a matter of just a few days, since RAM modules have managed to break the $1,000 threshold, and they are looking to go even further. This has brought in massive uncertainity in the PC market, and more importantly, almost every major PC component is going to be affected by the DRAM shortages, one way or the other.
MAINGEAR's CEO has warned us that the supply situation is expected to worsen moving forward, and for now, consumers can only wait to see how retailers react to the upcoming constraints.
About the author: Muhammad Zuhair is a hardware and technology reporter for Wccftech, specializing in the semiconductor industry and the complex interplay between technology, manufacturing, and geopolitics. His coverage focuses on the corporate strategies and technological roadmaps of industry giants like TSMC, NVIDIA, Samsung, and Intel. Zuhair's expertise lies in deconstructing complex topics such as fabrication nodes (e.g., 2nm process), the economic impact of policies like the CHIPS Act, and the strategic development of AI infrastructure from NVIDIA, AMD and Intel.
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