The gaming community might need to brace for some wallet pain in 2026. According to industry insider reports making rounds on Chinese tech forums, both Nvidia and AMD are gearing up to increase prices on their graphics cards, yes, even the ones already sitting on store shelves.
The culprit? A massive DRAM shortage driven by the AI boom that’s sending memory prices through the roof.
AI’s expensive side effect on gaming hardware
The generative AI gold rush has created an insatiable appetite for memory chips. Tech giants are building data centers at breakneck speed, and these facilities demand massive amounts of DRAM.
This surge has already killed off some consumer storage companies and pushed console prices up, but now it’s coming for GPUs. An insider posting on Board Channels forums explained that the three major DRAM manufacturers have hiked their prices significantly, and while Nvidia and AMD have been protected by existing contracts, that shield is about to expire.
Here’s where it gets real: AMD’s fiscal year just kicked off on January 1st, 2026, meaning price adjustments could hit any day now. Nvidia has a bit more breathing room until February when their fiscal quarter wraps up, but the increase is inevitable for both. We’re talking about the GeForce RTX 50 series and AMD’s RX 90 series cards, hardware that many gamers saved up for or were planning to grab this year.
The ripple effect across gaming
The situation doesn’t stop at graphics cards. The DRAM crisis is expected to worsen throughout 2026, which explains some recent industry moves that seemed odd at first. Rumors suggest Nvidia scrapped plans for RTX 50 Super variants originally slated for this year. Valve’s Steam Machine launch reportedly hit snags because of component costs.
Even next-gen console manufacturers are supposedly pumping the brakes on their release timelines.
For gamers and PC builders, this is frustrating timing. Just when we thought supply chain nightmares were behind us, here comes another obstacle.
The reality is that when memory manufacturers raise prices, that cost gets passed down the chain, from Nvidia and AMD to retailers, and ultimately to us. If you’ve been on the fence about upgrading your rig, pulling the trigger sooner rather than later might save you a chunk of change.
The silver lining? At least we know it’s coming. Being informed means you can plan accordingly, whether that’s upgrading now, waiting out the storm, or adjusting your build budget for the inevitable hike.
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