With AI-driven semiconductor costs sending RAM prices into the stratosphere, reports are now piling up that both NVIDIA and AMD have decided to hike GPU prices. Building a PC is becoming an increasingly expensive endeavor.

First, the news on NVIDIA comes via the tech outlet 'BenchLife'. According to the report, NVIDIA is increasing the prices for GPU kits utilizing GDDR6 and GDDR7 memory by 20% to 30%. This covers not only the Blackwell cards sporting GDDR7 but also older GeForce models using GDDR6. This marks the third price hike this year.

As for AMD, industry analyst 'Harukaze5719' claims to have verified the information through internal supply chain sources. The analyst suggests that while AMD had already decided to raise prices on its GPU and VRAM bundles, the company held off on the announcement due to a sluggish market recovery, consumer price sensitivity, and the fact that its rival, NVIDIA, had not yet implemented a hike. Now that NVIDIA has made its move, the analyst adds that AMD intends to follow suit with a price increase of at least 10%.

This price hike is not limited to high-end models but applies across the board to models frequently sought by general consumers. The financial burden on gamers, who have been struggling with rising costs since the end of last year, is expected to grow. Furthermore, in anticipation of the price hikes, some suppliers have temporarily paused shipments, leading to supply shortages.

Meanwhile, manufacturers including Samsung have warned in recent earnings calls that the memory supply crunch is set to worsen next year. Consequently, PC gamers waiting for AAA titles like GTA 6 are facing a difficult situation.