The prices of PC components have been on a steady rise over the past few years, but this year's been something else. PC gamers are slowly being priced out of building a PC that'll be good enough to handle AAA games for the next few years.
We can't change the state of the market; we can only find ways to work around it. But some of those ways, I bet you won't want to hear.
The prices are getting worse by the day
What a way to end the year.
Patrick Campanale / How-To Geek
Do you still remember the days when you could buy an RTX 3080 for $699? No? Me neither, because while it did have a recommended list price (MSRP) of $699, it was hardly ever In the next generation, the RTX 4080 launched at $1,200, followed by the RTX 4080 Super at $999.
It's almost like we went back in time, because just a few years later, we're back right where we started with outrageous pricing on PC components.
In 2025, we've seen the release of many interesting graphics cards. Unfortunately, most of them were never actually available at the MSRP.
Cards like the RTX 5090 could cost well over $1,000 more, but even midrange GPUs like the RTX 5070 and the RTX 5070 Ti sold for a good couple of hundred dollars more at times. AMD's excellent RX 9070 XT was plagued by the same problems throughout the year.
Just as things were finally beginning to settle down, making now a good time to buy a GPU , the RAM-pocalypse started. Consumer RAM prices skyrocketed in the span of a few months. You used to be able to snag 32GB of DDR5 RAM for around $70 in August; now, good luck finding a kit under $300-$400, depending on the speed. Experts say it'll only get worse, and DRAM shortages will make the prices of other components and prebuilts rise , too.
Good news: You don't have to put off upgrading for up to three years—you just have to get creative.
Avoid the expensive upgrades
Buy what makes sense right now, not what you need the most
Patrick Campanale / How-To Geek
While certain components are (or will soon be) overpriced, other PC parts are still doing well. If you don't need a whole new setup, you might be better off just aiming for other upgrades.
Right now, anything but RAM is semi-alright, although SSDs have already felt the impact of NAND flash supply constraints. To that end, I recommend shelling out more on a 2TB SSD rather than a 1TB drive , as you're getting much better value—although, unfortunately, SSDs were considerably cheaper just a few months ago.
You can also avoid the entire pricing fiasco by buying a new CPU, motherboard, PSU, cooling system, or PC case. All of those still give you some sort of an upgrade, although not all of them translate to performance, and their prices aren't terrible right now.
Prebuilt PCs are still safe from the ongoing price hikes, but watch out for some common traps if you decide to buy one.
Mandatory disclaimer: If what you really need is, say, new RAM or a new GPU, then this won't help you, but if you just want to treat yourself to an upgrade, avoid the components that have been hit the hardest.
Alternatively, try to buy used components. Now is a great time to do so, and you might be able to score a good deal—just make sure you're being safe when you buy used PC parts .
Boost your setup, not your PC
The prices are a minefield, so just avoid the mines
Monica J. White / How-To Geek
Sometimes, you may gain more by upgrading your whole setup rather than your computer. Some of my favorite upgrades in the last few years have been well-researched peripherals (although, obviously, I love my PC a whole lot).
Start by taking a look at your monitor. You can future-proof your setup without improving the rest of your computer by buying a monitor with a nicer OLED panel, higher refresh rates, or a higher resolution. Just be careful with that last one, as your frame rates may suffer if your GPU isn't prepared to play games at 1440p or 4K.
Other than that, you could invest in a good keyboard, a better mouse, or even something else entirely, such as a standing desk or a comfy chair.
Embrace frame generation
Fake frames or not, they do the job
Nvidia / YouTube
Modern GPUs rely heavily on frame generation and upscaling techniques, and the sooner we all embrace that, the easier it'll be to get by with a cheaper graphics card.
Frame generation is not without its flaws, but it can elevate a midrange GPU to much higher levels at little to no cost to visuals. Latency often takes a hit, but that can be remedied with other technologies, such as Nvidia Reflex.
I know, I know. The idea of "fake frames" inserted between real ones sounds like a way for GPU makers to get away with giving us less hardware for the (ever increasing amount of) money that we're paying them. But whether we like it or not, that is the reality of things, and frame generation isn't going anywhere. If anything, it's likely to become a more integral part of GPU performance as time goes on.
If you lean into frame generation where possible, you'll be able to get away with a much cheaper GPU, saving money for other components.
Patience is the name of the game
You may not like my advice.
Ismar Hrnjicevic / How-To Geek
If nothing else works, then the best option right now is to just wait it out.
Experts believe that the DRAM shortage will ease up around 2027-2028. Prices will likely normalize at some point by then, but they're unlikely to drop. We're in for a long, long shortage, and with other components following suit, it won't be a great time to upgrade your PC for a while.
If your PC is on the older side and could really use a refresh, you might have to embrace lower frame rates or settings. I had an old PC with an Nvidia GTX 1060 when the GPU shortage of 2020/2021 first hit. Needless to say, I had to put off any upgrades and deal with it, as I wasn't about to pay up to 300% more than the MSRP for an RTX 30-series graphics card.
It was fine. I could still play AAA games, but at medium settings. I still had fun. It wasn't the best gaming experience I could've had, but it was the best I could get at the time.
Wait it out, hunt for sales, and look for alternatives. There's not much else to do right now.
