The editorial team at Poker Guru has been following the recent warnings about rising GPU and monitor costs from PC Partner Group and major display manufacturers, which are drawing attention among Lithuania’s gaming community. As hardware becomes more expensive in the second half of 2026, budget-conscious PC gamers may find themselves reconsidering how much they want to spend on other forms of entertainment as well.
For some players, a poker bankroll is another expense that comes from the same discretionary budget as gaming hardware, subscriptions or other hobbies.PokerGurucovers poker-related topics for Lithuanian readers, while the broader point is simply about setting priorities when costs begin to rise. Putting a clear limit on entertainment spending can make it easier to decide whether to save for a new graphics card, keep an existing setup running longer or continue spending on other hobbies.
PC Partner Group Puts GPU Buyers on Notice for H2 2026
The clearest corporate signal in the current hardware cost story comes from PC Partner Group, according toTechRadar. Known primarily as the Singapore-based Asian graphics card giant and parent company of Zotac, Inno3D, and Manli, PC Partner Group carries real weight in the GPU supply chain. Its published H1 2026 fiscal results leave little room for optimism.
The company stated plainly that “graphics memory costs are expected to rise further, leading to a substantial increase in VGA Card costs in the second half of the year.” GPU shipments had already “declined substantially” in H1 2026, and PC Partner Group projects a further drop in H2. That combination — rising costs alongside falling shipment volumes — is a pressure that will work through to retail prices.
The entry-level segment faces the hardest squeeze. PC Partner Group’s own language is direct: “entry-level VGA Cards are expected to face even more severe shortages, which may further drive ASP upward in the second half of 2026.” Average selling prices rising precisely in the tier that budget-minded buyers depend on is a particularly uncomfortable dynamic. Beyond the GPU supply itself, PC Partner Group also flags that system RAM and CPUs are taking longer to procure, suggesting the sourcing difficulties are not isolated to graphics memory alone.
Two Monitor Makers Confirm Coming Price Increases
The display market is moving in the same direction, with two named manufacturers issuing separate warnings in quick succession. KTC and AOC have both indicated that the cost pressures building in component supply chains will translate into higher prices for consumers.
KTC’s language was measured but firm. The company issued a formal notice stating that “the production cost of monitors has increased significantly” and that it can no longer absorb those pressures internally. KTC described the coming adjustments as a “necessary measure” rather than a possibility under consideration, signaling that increases are effectively confirmed rather than speculative.
More striking was KTC’s direct advice to customers on timing. “For users with a clear need to purchase a device in the near future,” the company wrote, “the current pricing window offers excellent value for money, and we recommend planning your purchase time accordingly.” A manufacturer telling buyers to act now before prices move is an unusual move. It is also an unusually honest one. AOC confirmed separately that rising component costs will result in monitor price hikes beginning in August 2026, adding a second major brand voice to what is becoming a consistent industry signal.
Real-Time Price Tracking Confirms the Trend, Entry-Level Buyers Most Exposed
The warnings from manufacturers are not running ahead of observable market data. PC Gamer has been tracking graphics card prices weekly and has recorded clear cost increases in recent weeks, consistent with PC Partner Group’s projections. The forecasts and the live data are pointing in the same direction.
What makes the current environment particularly difficult for the typical PC gaming budget is where the pressure is concentrated. Entry-level GPUs are the cards most gamers in a constrained spending position actually buy. PC Partner Group’s specific warning that this segment faces “even more severe shortages” — with the resulting upward push on average selling prices — means that buyers with less flexibility will find the market moving against them most sharply. This is not primarily a story about flagship cards becoming marginally more expensive. It is about the accessible tier of the market becoming harder to reach.
The component stress is also widening. RAM and SSDs are getting more expensive alongside GPUs and monitors as the broader supply picture tightens. Multiple independent rumors have flagged that graphics cards are set for considerable price hikes, a volume and consistency that TechRadar describes as “too consistent to ignore.” The corroboration across
Reddit Reacts With Gallows Humor as the Component Crisis Spreads
The community response to the spreading cost story has carried an edge of dark humor. One Redditor, quoted by TechRadar, captured the mood succinctly: “Wouldn’t you enjoy a simple case costing like $300?” The joke lands because it reflects a genuine anxiety — that if GPUs, monitors, RAM, and SSDs are all repricing upward, the question of what component category comes next is not an absurd one.
The uncertainty about scope is real. Each week that brings another manufacturer notice or another corroborating rumor broadens the practical worry for anyone planning a PC build or upgrade. The community is not panicking, but it is paying attention in a way it was not six months ago.
The Buy-Now-or-Wait Calculation
For gamers facing these conditions, the practical question is timing. KTC has already provided its own answer for monitors: the current pricing window is the better one, and the company is saying so explicitly. On the GPU side, PC Partner Group’s warning about entry-level shortages driving average selling prices upward through H2 2026 points toward a similar conclusion for anyone who has been deferring a graphics-card purchase.
Waiting for prices to drop requires a credible mechanism for that drop to happen. Neither the supply picture nor the manufacturer statements currently provide one. Budget-conscious buyers who need a monitor now, or whose current GPU is genuinely limiting their gaming experience, face a window that is narrowing rather than opening.
