Graphics card makers warn of looming shortage — budget GPUs face the biggest hit

PCs could become even more expensive in the second half of 2026 as a worsening shortage of graphics cards and other key components pushes up manufacturing costs and extends delivery times.

PC Partner Group, a Hong Kong-based manufacturer of graphics cards and other computer components under brands including Zotac, Inno3D, and Manli, warned on August 14 that GPU availability is likely to deteriorate further in the coming months. PC Partner expects entry-level graphics cards to face particularly severe shortages, potentially pushing up average selling prices and making even budget desktop PCs more expensive.

The PC market remains highly challenging, with significant supply constraints driving sharp increases in component costs and, in turn, slowing consumer demand, - PC Partner's first-half 2026 results statement. 

The company expects rising prices for graphics memory chips to lead to a “substantial increase” in graphics card costs during the second half of 2026. PC Partner manufactures graphics cards based on Nvidia's GPUs but did not specify what is driving the current shortage.

However, media reports have linked the supply constraints partly to growing demand for advanced chips and memory from AI companies building data center infrastructure. The shortage is not limited to graphics cards: PC Partner said lead times for CPUs, memory, and other key components have also become “significantly longer.”

The impact of these supply problems has already become visible in PC Partner's business. A shortage of GPUs and graphics memory limited sales of its own-brand graphics cards during the first half of the year, although their average selling price increased 10.7% year over year. The component shortages also disrupted production of the company's mini-PCs and other electronic products.

Despite lower sales volumes, higher graphics card prices helped PC Partner more than double its net profit to HK$545.5 million ($69.52 million), up from HK$250.4 million ($31.91 million) a year earlier. Revenue increased 1.5% to HK$6.45 billion ($820 million).

PC Partner expects conditions for its traditional PC business to become more difficult in the second half of the year as component shortages intensify. The company plans to offset some of the weakness by starting shipments of new GPU servers and AI-related products, which it expects to become increasingly important sources of growth.

The worsening supply situation could therefore create another headache for PC buyers later this year. If shortages of GPUs, graphics memory, CPUs, and other components continue to worsen, manufacturers could pass higher costs on to consumers, pushing up prices of complete desktop PCs.