The ongoing crisis affecting PC component prices, particularly RAM, may soon extend to motherboards. A leak originating from the Chinese tech forum Board Channels, and reported by VideoCardz, indicates a potential price increase of up to 50% for printed circuit boards (PCBs) in the third quarter of 2026.
This projected rise is attributed to increasing raw material costs for motherboards. Furthermore, the leak suggests that the continued weakening of the DIY PC market is compelling manufacturers like MSI, Asus, and Gigabyte to raise prices to compensate for lower sales volumes. While the current quarter is Q3, price increases have not yet materialized on store shelves. In fact, some motherboards, such as the Asus ROG Strix X870E Gaming, have seen price reductions over the past year, according to Amazon listings. However, the information remains speculative, originating from an unverified forum post.
The shrinking DIY market is a recognized trend, exacerbated by the persistent RAM crisis that has driven up the cost of virtually all PC components. This escalating expense makes building a custom gaming PC increasingly prohibitive.
Should motherboard prices indeed climb, the overall cost of assembling a gaming PC would rise further, potentially positioning PC gaming as a more exclusive hobby. The RAM crisis, which began in earnest at the start of 2026, has shown no signs of abating, with Valve engineers reportedly stating that prices are expected to worsen. This broader trend of increasing hardware costs has even seen the Xbox Series X receive a price hike to $799 for its 1TB disk drive model.