The affordable graphics card market could face a new wave of shortages during the second half of 2026, with entry level models expected to become harder to find and more expensive.
PC Partner Group, the parent company behind brands including ZOTAC, INNO3D and Manli, reportedly expects shortages in the entry level GPU segment to become more severe as the year progresses.
The warning comes as graphics card prices continue climbing across multiple price tiers, with rising memory costs putting pressure on vendors and forcing repeated pricing adjustments.
Entry level GPUs may be hit harder
| Area | Current situation |
|---|---|
| Entry level GPUs | Shortages expected to worsen in H2 2026 |
| Main pressure | Rising memory costs |
| Expected effect | Higher average selling prices |
| Affected examples | RTX 3050, RTX 5050, RX 9050 |
| Mid range market | Already seeing significant price increases |
| Outlook | Affordable PC building could become more difficult |
Higher capacity graphics cards have already been heavily affected by rising memory prices, but lower cost products are not escaping the same trend.
Models such as the GeForce RTX 3050, RTX 5050 and recently launched Radeon RX 9050 are already selling above their suggested retail prices in some markets.
These cards remain substantially cheaper than many 60 class and 70 class GPUs, which makes them important for buyers trying to assemble gaming PCs without spending heavily on graphics hardware.
Memory pricing remains the main problem
PC Partner reportedly points to increasing memory costs as one of the main reasons behind the expected shortages.
Graphics cards depend on dedicated video memory, so increases in DRAM and related memory pricing directly affect manufacturing costs.
That pressure is already visible higher up the market.
The GeForce RTX 5060 Ti 16GB, for example, has been seen at prices above $800 at some retailers despite launching at a much lower MSRP. Similar increases across other products show how quickly memory related costs can affect final GPU pricing.
Entry level cards use less VRAM, but that does not make them immune.
If manufacturers have limited access to memory supply, they may also prioritize products with stronger margins, potentially reducing production of cheaper models.
Affordable PC builds are under pressure from several components
GPU pricing is only part of the problem for budget PC builders.
RAM and SSD prices have also increased sharply during 2026, raising the total cost of even modest systems.
That means buyers who once relied on inexpensive graphics cards to keep a build within budget could face fewer options in the coming months.
A system using an entry level GPU may still be cheaper than one built around a mainstream or high end model, but the gap could shrink if low cost cards continue moving above MSRP.
Second half of 2026 could be difficult for budget buyers
The forecast has not established exact shortage levels or specific future prices, so the scale of the problem remains uncertain.
However, PC Partner's warning suggests that entry level GPUs could become one of the next areas of the hardware market to feel stronger supply pressure.
If memory costs remain elevated and availability tightens, buyers could see fewer affordable graphics cards on shelves while average selling prices continue moving higher.
That would leave budget conscious gamers with fewer realistic upgrade paths at a time when memory, storage and graphics hardware are all becoming more expensive.
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