A New Report Reveals That Motherboard Sales Have Plummeted amid Chip Shortages and the Absence of New Consumer GPU Releases. It’s a “water is wet” moment for those who understand the implications of having memory and storage costs double or triple, but others not involved in building their own systems may not have already connected the dots. As AI’s Kaiju-sized appetite continues to devour both natural and manufacturing resources globally, multiple sectors in the tech industry are struggling to adapt, and now the core of PC building is sinking due to chip shortages. Digitimes (via Tom’s Hardware).
According to the new report, motherboard sales have dropped by over 25%, and this drop has been attributed to not only the chip shortage but also a lack of new consumer GPU releases. Concerning the absence of new gaming graphics cards, it’s been speculated for some time that, and somewhat acknowledged by manufacturers, they too have been impacted by the immense price increases for memory chips. Neither AMD, Intel, nor NVIDIA has released any new gaming GPUs thus far in 2026, despite many rumors for each having products being developed. Factor in a lack of new gaming cards, extravagant costs for memory and storage, and we already have a triple threat to the budget of those thinking about building a new PC. All this without checking off more spots on the bingo card when it comes to rumors that other factors could also see price increases for other components.
ASUS is already on track to sell 5 million fewer motherboards this year, with MSI and GIGABYTE also expecting a significant drop in sales. Current projection forecasts a 33% year-over-year decline for ASUS in 2026 and roughly 22% reduction for MSI and GIGABYTE. ASRock leads the pack in falling sales expected to be around 37%.
In essence, we are seeing an implosion in the PC building space. With no official word from AMD, Intel, or NVIDIA regarding new GPUs, which are now rumored to not arrive until 2028, along with the continued rising prices for memory and storage, it’s an abysmal outlook for PC enthusiasts considering new upgrades. It gets even worse when CPU price hikes occur shortly after launch, as seen with Intel’s recent price hikes.
“The shortage of memory and CPUs has directly impacted consumer demand. Multiple shipment forecasts warn that the global PC market, which had just begun to recover, will once again enter a recession in 2026.”
– Digitimes