PC Killed By Rising Memory Prices! Gamers Are Really Not Building Rigs Anymore: April Motherboard Sales Plunge 44% Year-Over-Year

According to Fast Technology on May 20, the chain reaction triggered by the continued sharp rise in memory and hard drive prices is severely hitting the PC DIY market.

According to the latest release from Bobantang, the main board shipment data for the China region in April 2026 shows that...The total SELL IN shipment volume of motherboards for all brands this month decreased by approximately 9% month-on-month compared with March, and plunged by 44% year-on-year versus the same period in 2025, marking the largest decline in recent years.

Analysis indicates that, as March marks the end of the first quarter, factories of various brands generally push inventory into distribution channels to meet quarterly performance targets. In April, however, the market enters an inventory adjustment period, and manufacturers no longer force shipments, leading to a noticeable decline in shipment figures.

But the deeper reason lies in the continued weakness in end demand; actual sales across the national market are similarly bleak, with a decline rarely seen in previous years.

In terms of brand ranking,ASUS and GIGABYTE remain firmly in the top two positions, MSI has returned to third place, Colorful ranks fourth, and the rankings of the remaining brands remain unchanged.

What makes things worse is that motherboard products are currently widely sold at inverted margins, making them one of the most difficult categories in the DIY industry chain. The current market size has already shrunk to the limit, making it hard to shrink any further, but there is also no obvious room for growth.

Meanwhile, gamers’ willingness to build PCs has also fallen to rock bottom. Previously, a survey conducted by Tom’s Hardware among more than 1,500 experienced PC users showed thatAs many as 60% of gamers explicitly stated that they do not plan to build a new PC within the next two years. Of the remaining 40%, only 15% plan to build one within two years, 10% intend to get one within a year, and a total of just 15% are willing to build one within the next six months.

As the core user group that knows PCs best, their attitude directly reflects the market’s overall gloomy sentiment.

The core reason behind this situation is the continued surge in storage chip prices, with no signs of easing in the short term. Rising prices for memory and hard drives have not only directly pushed up the cost of building a PC, but have also driven up the prices of other hardware such as processors and graphics cards.

From the storage original manufacturers, main control manufacturers to module manufacturers, they are all enjoying the substantial profits brought by high prices and generally do not wish for prices to fall rapidly, and even hope that this state of high profits can be maintained for two to three years.

The upcoming 618 shopping festival in May and June is seen as a lifeline for the industry. Insiders expect sales during the promotion period to rise compared with normal levels, but they will most likely still fall below the same period last year. Demand in offline channels is unlikely to recover, with only the internet café market still offering some room for further development.