Motherboard Prices Are Expected to Increase amid Slower Sales and Rising Manufacturing Costs

[Peter_Brosdahl]

It is perhaps the worst time in PC enthusiast history, as one component after another sees price increases, and there’s no end in sight to the bad news. Just when you thought it couldn’t get any worse for those looking to upgrade or build a new system in 2026, another dark cloud looms on the […]

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[Grimlakin]

Whaaat everyone is increasing prices because everyone is increasing prices... I mean... why be the odd man out when you could be making more for less?!

 

[Dan_D]

Since about 2018 motherboard prices have skyrocketed at an alarming rate. A lot of things have.

It's getting so bad that I'm considering buying laptops from here on out. The PC I have may end up being my last custom rig if things don't change. $1,000+ for top end motherboards is bullshit. $5,000+ for a top end GPU, get ****ed. $400-$500 for just 32GB of RAM? That licks horse anus. $1,300 for top end SSDs? I'd rather deep throat a ****ing cactus than pay those kinds of prices.

Meanwhile a friend of mine picked up a laptop with an RTX 5090 mobile in it for $3,600 a few days ago. I realize the performance of laptops and desktops isn't 1:1, but the prices are way easier to stomach.

As an enthusiast, I hate the current landscape of the industry.

 

[igor_kavinski]

Meanwhile a friend of mine picked up a laptop with an RTX 5090 mobile in it for $3,600 a few days ago. I realize the performance of laptops and desktops isn't 1:1, but the prices are way easier to stomach.

Always get an extended 3 year warranty with a laptop. Gaming laptops have a propensity to fail or develop annoying problems, especially ones from HP and Lenovo.

 

[Dan_D]

Always get an extended 3 year warranty with a laptop. Gaming laptops have a propensity to fail or develop annoying problems, especially ones from HP and Lenovo.

I'm aware. Parts costs outside of warranty and having to let mouth breathers at some "authorized service center" like Microcenter try and repair it are my biggest turn offs with laptops. I used to repair them for a living myself, and I know all too well how the quality of hardware technicians has declined in the last few years.

That said, my last one was an ASUS G75VW that lasted 13 years. Granted, it wasn't usable as a gaming laptop the entire time, but I still have it and it works fine. I did go through three AC adapters for it over the years though.