It looks like even power supplies and CPU coolers are set to rise in price, but AI isn't to blame this time

Closeup Image Of Gaming PC With Blue RGB Lighting - stock photo. Close up image of watercooled gaming pc motherboard and blue rgb lighting with a focus on the cpu cooler and wiring ready to play the latest games. — (Image credit: Matthew Cheetham via Getty Images)

We already know the memory supply crisis is bad, but a new challenger threatens to further put the screws on PC gamers' wallets. If you were still hoping to upgrade your hardware this year, you'd better do it soon, as a leaked letter suggests PSUs and CPU coolers may soon go up in price by as much as 10%.

While you may think AI is yet again to blame, data centres don't typically use consumer-grade kit, and are otherwise operating with an amount of hardware that pales in comparison to the millions of PCs consumers buy every year. No, something even more fundamental may be to blame here.

The leaked missive is reportedly from Guangzhou Xinhongzheng Electronic Technology to its partners and claims price increases are the result of rising upstream raw material costs for copper, silver, and tin (via Videocardz). The letter goes on to explain that new orders for CPU coolers will see a price increase ranging from 6% to 8%, and power supplies will be subject to an uptick between 6% and 10%.

ASRock power supply with 12V-2x6 power cable that has a thermal sensor — (Image credit: Future)

While the lower end of the leaked letter's projected range is about double the rate of global inflation, the price hikes aren't immediately dire news, even though they're annoying to see.

So, assuming the letter is legitimate, what may that mean practically? Well, for instance, the fanciest CPU coolers with all-singing, all-dancing LCD screens already cost a pretty penny, so could potentially absorb rising BOM costs without increasing in price. Unfortunately, more budget power supply and CPU cooler options don't enjoy that same wiggle room—in other words, the $35 cooler you had your eye on may cost closer to $40 very soon.

Trying to be ever so slightly optimistic, that doesn't sound completely awful. However, there's always the chance that vendors will also try to account for a dip in sales by raising prices even further. For instance, Chinese media sources already claim that the sales of big ticket items, like motherboards, dipped by up to 50% last year—could even less pricey gear follow suit?

It stands to reason that many will be thinking long and hard about their next upgrade. While PC gaming has always been expensive, 2026 is shaping up to be a year where even fewer gamers can ignore the squeeze.

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Jess has been writing about games for over ten years, spending the last seven working on print publications PLAY and Official PlayStation Magazine. When she’s not writing about all things hardware here, she’s getting cosy with a horror classic, ranting about a cult hit to a captive audience, or tinkering with some tabletop nonsense.

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