If you’ve been holding off on buying a graphics card in hopes of finding better deals, recent reports suggest that GPU prices could soon rise significantly. As the Korean tech outlet reports, NewsAccording to industry sources, NVIDIA and AMD are planning price increases for their graphics card lineup starting in early 2026, potentially reshaping the PC gaming hardware market and squeezing the budgets of gamers and developers alike.
Much of the talk revolves around the GeForce RTX 5090, NVIDIA’s current flagship GPU. Originally launched with an MSRP of nearly $2,000, some reports now claim that prices for this top-tier card could rise to around $5,000 by next year if the trend holds out. This would make it one of the most expensive consumer graphics cards of all time, around 2.5 times its original launch price.
Why GPU prices could rise
At the core of this pressure is a global supply shortage of memory components, particularly DRAM and high-speed VRAM used in modern GPUs. Analysts believe that memory now accounts for a much larger share of GPU production costs and that shortages or rising prices are affecting the rest of the materials list. This is not a one-off prediction; Several reports suggest that the price increases will occur gradually through January and February and may continue in the following months.
For gamers and PC makers, the implications are clear but mixed. The downside is that buying new GPUs could be significantly more expensive, especially if you’re aiming for high-end performance. Component shortages and price inflation can lead to longer waits for better deals or the need to adjust expectations about which GPUs offer the best value for money. On the bright side, if price increases do indeed happen, it could increase the value of current-gen cards that are already in use or currently on sale. Offers that are priced below the RRP today may appear particularly attractive in retrospect.
Neither NVIDIA nor AMD have officially confirmed any widespread price increases, so there is still some uncertainty about the exact timing and extent. However, previous reports mentioned that AMD has already informed its graphics card partners that it will be implementing a price increase of at least 10% for its Radeon GPU lineup due to rising memory module costs. With memory prices under pressure and global demand patterns changing, 2026 could be the year graphics cards become significantly more expensive for many buyers.
