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If you have priced up a PC this year and then priced the same specification again a few months later, you will have noticed the number moving in one direction. This article explains what is happening to component costs, why it is affecting every PC builder, and how we are handling it at Punch Technology.

Three components are driving the change

System memory. DDR5 memory has roughly tripled in wholesale price since late 2025. The cause is demand from AI data centres, which now take a large share of global memory production and pay far more per chip than PC makers can. Manufacturers have shifted their factory capacity towards that market, leaving less for desktop memory. Industry analysts expect supply to stay tight, and prices to keep rising, through 2027.

Storage. The same factories make the flash chips inside SSDs, and the same shift is happening. Wholesale flash prices rose by more than half in the first quarter of 2026 alone, and a typical 1TB SSD now costs roughly double what it did a year ago. New production capacity is not expected to make a difference before late 2027.

Graphics cards. Modern graphics cards carry their own high-speed memory, and that memory is caught in the same squeeze. Card makers have raised prices several times since the summer, with further increases expected before the end of the year.

Why you see it in the price of a finished PC

Memory, storage and graphics together make up well over half the cost of most gaming and creative systems. When all three move at once, the price of the finished PC has to follow. This is an industry-wide change rather than anything specific to one builder, and it applies equally to pre-built systems from the large manufacturers.

How we are handling it

  • Your price is fixed when you order. Whatever the market does between your order and your build, the price you agreed is the price you pay.
  • DDR4 pries remain stable. Our AMD Ryzen 5000-series gaming systems use DDR4 memory, which has been far less affected. If you want the most performance for your budget right now, that range is the place to start.
  • We configure honestly. Our configurator lets you choose the amount of memory and the storage you actually need. For most 1080p and 1440p gaming, 16GB remains a sensible choice, and a second drive can always be added later.
  • We never substitute without asking. If a listed component becomes unavailable before your build, we contact you first and agree an equivalent or better part before going ahead.

What to expect next

We review component costs weekly and adjust prices in both directions. If you are planning a purchase, the honest advice is that waiting is unlikely to bring prices down in the next twelve months. If you are unsure which specification gives you the best value in the current market, call or message us and we will talk it through.

Market information correct at the time of writing, September 2026.