Just when entry-level GPUs looked like the last affordable corner of PC gaming, that corner is apparently about to get squeezed too. PC Partner Group, the Hong Kong company behind ZOTAC, INNO3D, and Manli, warned in its first-half 2026 financial results that graphics card shortages are set to get "even more" severe in the entry-level segment specifically, with average selling prices expected to climb further in the back half of the year.
According to the company, the culprit is the same one we've been hearing about all year: rising graphics memory costs, driven by AI demand, eating into GDDR6 and GDDR7 supply. PC Partner didn't name specific models, but cards like the RTX 5050, RTX 3050, and the recently launched Radeon RX 9050 are already selling above MSRP in several markets, and this warning suggests that gap is only going to widen.
It's not just graphics memory either. PC Partner says lead times for CPUs, standard DRAM, and other core components have gotten "significantly longer" too, apparently making the entire PC supply chain harder to plan around. Standard DRAM prices have already surged repeatedly this year on the back of data center demand, so the warning aligns with a pattern we've seen play out again and again in 2026.
The numbers back up the extent to which this is already reshaping PC Partner's business. Component shortages held back sales volumes for its own graphics cards in the first half of 2026, yet the average selling price for those cards still rose 10.7% year over year. Despite that squeeze, the company more than doubled its net profit to roughly $69.5 million USD, up from about $31.9 million a year earlier, while revenue grew a more modest 1.5% to around $820 million USD.
This is happening right as GPU prices across the board have been climbing well past launch pricing, and AMD has already confirmed further hikes of its own for the second half of the year. Entry-level cards were supposed to be the fallback option for gamers priced out of the mid-range and flagship market, so a warning like this one probably won't sit well with anyone hoping to build or upgrade a budget PC soon.
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Of course, none of this is confirmed as a done deal yet, and PC Partner's statement is more of a warning sign. Still, given how consistently price increases have played out across 2026, it's probably worth budgeting for higher prices if you're eyeing an entry-level GPU purchase later this year.
