Occasionally, on one of my rare jaunts out into the real world, someone will ask me what I do for a living. "I write for PC Gamer," I invariably respond. "Oh that's cool," comes the reply. "I'd like to buy a gaming PC, but I looked at the prices recently and…"
You get the idea. I'm also constantly asked by gamers, both online and in the real world, what PC they should buy on a budget, and my response often starts with: "What do you mean by budget?"
You can still buy a sub-$1,000 prebuilt with great specs, but that's while current stocks last. All indications suggest that, come 2026, DRAM prices are going to bite so hard when it comes to memory modules, SSDs, and even VRAM, that a decently-powerful rig for less than a grand is going to be very hard to find. And in terms of the DIY market? We're already in deep… waters.
Two years ago, I paid around $100 for the 32 GB Corsair Vengeance RGB DDR5-6000 kit currently sitting in my machine. Yesterday, I found it for $425. Today, I can't find it in stock anywhere, despite it being, until very recently, one of the most affordable memory kits on the market.
In fact, the cheapest 32 GB DDR5 kit I can find on Amazon at the time of writing is this G.Skill 5400 MT/s set for $340. That's budget DDR5, for mainstream graphics card money.
Speaking of graphics cards, we've seen the prices stabilise over the past few months after the ludicrous retailer markups the market was subjected to earlier this year. You can now find most current-gen GPUs for around their MSRP, but that's still cold comfort for those looking to build a machine on a tight budget.
You can pick up an 8 GB RTX 5060 for sub-$300 prices, but it's still pretty thin-going if you want to turn the settings up in the demanding stuff at anything over 1080p. DLSS upscaling and Frame Generation help, no doubt. But it's not exactly a graphics card we're jumping up and down over—and should you wish to make the jump to the mid-range, an RTX 5070 is still $500 at best.
These are serious sums to lay down on single components that still require a whole host of extra hardware before they render a single frame.
You could go AMD, of course, and pick up a 16 GB RX 9060 XT for its $350 MSRP. Actually, the cheapest I can find right now is $380, which probably speaks to the card's popularity. Budget gamers needed a win, and in a year with very few, the little AMD card stood out by being decently priced for the level of performance it delivers.
That's where we're at, folks. A budget GPU is considered darn good value at $380. Add potential VRAM price increases on top, passed on to the customer, and expect that premium to climb even further.
Stack that on top of ridiculous system RAM pricing, and we have a serious problem. And while SSDs have been slower to rise, they've certainly begun their ascent—with sub-$100 1 TB drives now becoming very hard to find, and good 2 TB Gen 4 models starting to bump into the $200 mark.
Prepare to pay more than you did previously. Substantially more, for that matter.
Let me make myself clear—if we continue to price out the less well-heeled from entering the PC gaming space in this fashion, we risk chopping off the entry point into the hobby.
All pastimes need a constant supply of fresh blood in order to thrive. If the budget-conscious, entry-level roots of PC gaming are cut short, the whole tree looks in serious danger of, if not toppling over, at the very least withering in the sun. And that's bad for everyone, even if you can afford to pay the extra hit.
Not to mention those of us with rigs that could do with an upgrade in the next year or two. Need a new SSD, or thinking about buying a more powerful GPU to smooth out your frame rates in the latest demanding games? Prepare to pay more than you did previously. Substantially more, for that matter.
So, what's behind these price increases? Well, when it comes to the current memory crisis, you can mostly blame AI. Mostly. Unprecedented demand from AI datacenters, short supply, boom, DRAM module prices go through the roof. Should I be cynical, I'd also say that a memory manufacturer market dominated by only a few major players might have something to do with it, too.
As for the rest, add in retailers doing what retailers do, combine that with a hardware market that's still never quite recovered from Covid-era chip shortage tomfoolery (and the knowledge that many gamers will pay a lot more cash for components than previously thought, if they have to), sprinkle on a dash of tariffs, and you get the current state of affairs.
I find the whole thing heartbreaking. I remember begging my parents, at the age of 12, for the cash to put together my first gaming-capable PC. They paid a significant chunk of change, but even accounting for inflation, it was still far, far less than they'd have to pay now.
I remember saving my cash for new components and upgrades. Washing cars, mowing lawns, and, as a teenager, pulling pints. Doing what I needed to do, not just to pay my way, but to enjoy my hobby at the same time. I wonder about those doing the same thing now.
Would they be angry, reading the constant stories of record tech company profits going hand in hand with the ever-increasing sums they're expected to pay for their products? I think I would be. In fact, screw it, I think I am.
Times are hard, we're constantly told. Not at the top, it seems. But further down the ladder? Yeah, it's getting real rough out here—and things look set to get even rougher. Roll on 2026, ey? I'm going for a walk.
1. Best overall:
HP Omen 35L
2. Best budget:
Lenovo Legion Tower 5i
3. Best high-end:
Corsair Vengeance A7500
4. Best compact:
Velocity Micro Raptor ES40
5. Alienware:
Alienware Area-51
6. Best mini PC:
Minisforum AtomMan G7 PT
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