The Rising Costs of Gaming PCs: A 39% Increase in One Year
The price of a gaming PC has increased by 39% from $1334 to $1859 in a year.
Author: Maxim Boldson
Category: HARDWARE
Published on: 13 September 2026
Views: 53
The desktop PC market in Singapore has recently faced a sharp price increase due to a global shortage of key components, primarily driven by the allocation of silicon wafers and memory to artificial intelligence (AI) server infrastructure. According to retail monitoring by The Straits Times and the research agency IDC, both assembling pre-built systems and upgrading individual components have become considerably pricier for end consumers.
Price Increases for Key Hardware Components (August 2025 – August 2026):
- RAM (32GB dual-channel DDR5): Increased from $195 to $763 (291% increase)
- Solid-state drive (1TB): Increased from $149 to $328 (121% increase)
- Graphics card (Nvidia RTX 5060 8GB): Increased from $572 to $824 (44% increase)
- Hard drive (4TB): Increased from $205 to $336 (64% increase)
- Processor bundle (Intel Ultra 9 285K & motherboard): Slight change from $1,316 to $1,318.
The rapid price hikes in individual components directly impact the cost of pre-built desktop systems sold at specialized retail centers like Sim Lim Square. Analysts note the following trends for pre-built desktop configurations:
- Gaming Desktop PC: Average price increased from $1,334 in Q2 2025 to $1,859 in Q2 2026, a 39% rise.
Experts at IDC Asia Pacific report that chip manufacturers are prioritizing enterprise clients due to higher profit margins, leading to a critical shortage for consumer markets. Retailers indicate a decline in computer equipment sales ranging from 20% to 80% as customers postpone upgrade plans. With prices for memory and graphics accelerators expected to remain elevated through 2027, the retail sector is not anticipated to stabilize until 2028.
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