With prices for gaming hardware skyrocketing, many gamers are reconsidering their upgrade plans for 2026. Dramatic increases in costs for components like RAM, SSDs, and GPUs are causing consumers to halt purchases, as the market shifts focus toward enterprise and AI clients. Notably, 64GB RAM kits have reached prices comparable to gaming consoles, while generative AI demands have further strained availability.
Companies such as Micron have exited the consumer market to concentrate on business-to-business sales, reflecting a broader trend of suppliers prioritizing higher-margin enterprise deals. This has left consumers scrambling as major brands begin to cancel or revise orders for NAND flash memory, leading to fewer affordable SSD options.
The GPU market mirrors this turmoil, with mid-range graphics cards now treated as luxury items. For instance, the RTX 5090 has nearly doubled in price since its initial launch. As the landscape evolves, upgrading hardware appears increasingly impractical, leaving many gamers to reconsider their strategies until prices stabilize.