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While the prices of graphics cards have finally returned to normal, those of processors and other chips designed by Intel could soon climb significantly, taking with them that of the PCs that will ship them.
Good news, summer is here. Bad news, the prices of PCs are likely to climb quite badly in the months to come. According to the Nikkei daily, Intel has warned its major customers that it intends to increase its prices later this year. The majority of its processors and also its chips will be affected, such as Wi-Fi modules, for example.
The reason for this price increase is clear and given explicitly by the Santa Clara giant: production costs are increasing.
For the moment, the Japanese daily understands that the American giant has not stopped the amount of its tariff increases. However, the most popular chips could see their price increase by as much as 20%. This could have rapid and devastating effects on the prices of desktop and laptop PCs.
The increase is substantial, but the news is not really one. During its first quarter earnings conference, Intel announced its intention to offset the inflationary trend in the market.
If a player as powerful and ubiquitous as Intel in the PC market comes to this decision, it is quite possible that others will follow suit or even precede it. Obviously, this situation arises in a very unfavorable context on the PC market. After two great years linked to the need to equip ourselves in the context of the pandemic and the use of telework, the global PC market would be down 12.6% in the second quarter of 2022, according to Gartner. It would have collapsed by 18% for the Europe, Middle East and Africa zone. The difference between these two figures can be explained by the weight represented by Russia in the EMEA market, which fluctuates between 5 and 10% of the total volume of PCs sold in this geographical area.
If you’re looking to get a tower, a laptop, or even get your custom setup up and running, then this month of July and the weeks ahead could be the right time. Intel hasn’t raised its prices yet, and graphics card prices are still falling or rather low.
The collapse of cryptocurrencies has indeed largely collapsed the price bubble around graphics cards. This should be the case at least until the upcoming arrival of new graphics cards from Nvidia, the GeForce RTX 40xx, which could land in the coming months. If you are a gamer, you will have to find the right moment…
Nikkei