Another day, AI-driven demand continues to affect hardware pricing. AMD has reportedly informed its partners that GPU costs are set to rise due to higher DRAM prices, with increases expected to be at least 10 percent. The shift is linked to memory supply being redirected toward AI datacenters, which is putting pressure on component availability and pushing costs upward.
RAM pricing is already climbing, and that impact is now moving into the consumer graphics card market. There are still some solid GPU deals available during Black Friday and Cyber Monday, so it may be worth watching current discounts before pricing adjustments reach retail.
Why the price hike?
AMD cards rely on GDDR6 memory, and that memory is becoming more expensive due to demand from large AI datacenters. It is reasonable to expect NVIDIA and Intel to face similar pressures, which could lead to comparable pricing changes across the board. Console hardware is also being speculated as a possible area of impact, with Xbox pricing potentially increasing according to Moore's Law Is Dead, which could mean Sony could face similar conditions next year if current reports prove accurate.
Right now, it could be a sensible moment to upgrade a GPU, whether you favour AMD or NVIDIA, since current pricing may not last once the next wave of stock arrives at a higher cost.
With pricing expected to rise once current batches sell through, it puts many PC gamers in a tough spot, myself included. Deciding whether to upgrade now or hold out and hope for better conditions later. If you were already shopping for a new card, the deals available today might be the safest window before adjusted pricing lands.
Some people will wait to see how far prices climb or whether competition helps steady the market. Others will grab something now to avoid paying more for the same level of performance in a few weeks.
More Black Friday 2025 - quick links
- The very best Black Friday deals from all categories
- Mini PC deals: up to 47% off tiny PCs
- GPU deals: early price drops on NVIDIA RTX before they go up
- Microsoft Surface deals: save up to $500 on premium PCs
- Xbox accessories: best deals on gadgets for your Xbox Series X|S and PC
- Gaming laptop deals: the best laptops for the best price
- Xbox controllers: our top picks for best controller deals
- Samsung monitors: the best Samsung display deals we've found
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