AMD and Nvidia Raise GPU Prices in 2026

PC gamers face another round of price increases in 2026 as both AMD and Nvidia raise the cost of their graphics cards.

The latest hikes, confirmed in late July and early August, stem primarily from soaring memory prices driven by AI demand. Nvidia has already implemented multiple increases this year, with some RTX 50-series models seeing jumps of 15-30 percent in certain markets. AMD followed shortly after, notifying its add-in board partners of at least a 10 percent increase on Radeon GPU and GDDR6 memory kits starting in August.

Why Prices Are Climbing?

The root cause is a severe shortage of high-bandwidth memory. AI data centers have absorbed huge volumes of advanced DRAM and GDDR chips, leaving less supply for consumer graphics cards. Memory manufacturers can earn significantly more selling to enterprise customers, so production priorities shifted.

Reports indicate GDDR6 and GDDR7 costs have risen sharply throughout 2026, with some components more than doubling in price compared to previous years. Both companies waited for the other to move before fully aligning on the latest round of increases. The result is that the brief window when Radeon cards looked relatively stable on price has closed.

Impact on Buyers

Street prices for flagship cards have already climbed. High-end RTX 5090 models have been listed well above $4,000 in some regions, while mid-range options across both brands are seeing steady upward pressure. Builders who stocked up earlier in the year are currently in a better position, but new system builds and upgrades are becoming noticeably more expensive.

Console prices have also risen recently (Xbox Series X and S went up on August 1), leaving fewer affordable high-performance alternatives. Industry watchers expect the pressure on memory to continue into 2027 and possibly beyond. For now, the message from both AMD and Nvidia is clear: the cost of high-performance graphics is going up. Anyone planning a new PC build in the second half of 2026 should factor in higher GPU prices as the new normal.