Budget-conscious gamers seeking affordable hardware in 2026 may face significant challenges, as MSI plans to implement price increases of 15-30% on its gaming products. This decision comes in response to escalating costs in the memory sector.
The announcement stems from comments by MSI general manager Huang Jinquing, as reported in Taiwan's United Daily News through machine translation. The firm attributes the adjustments to surging memory prices, which have also driven up costs for graphics cards that depend on these components.
A notable example cited is the cost of a 16GB DDR5 DIMM module, which has climbed from $40 a year ago to around $200 currently, according to the manager.
MSI currently holds about one to two months' worth of stable memory stock, but as it replenishes supplies from producers and vendors such as Nvidia, higher prices are expected to take effect inevitably.
In an effort to safeguard profitability, the company intends to shift emphasis toward premium, higher-margin items, potentially at the expense of lower-end options. Per the translated report, MSI aims to allocate resources to mid-range and upper-tier products along with discerning clientele. Even if overall market volume drops by 10%, a 15-30% price uplift should allow revenue to stabilize or grow.
This move aligns with broader industry forecasts, which initially anticipated a 20% uptick in PC component costs this year but now project up to 40%, driven by suppliers prioritizing lucrative data center demands over consumer markets in areas like memory, storage, and GPUs. The moderated impact on end prices reflects manufacturers' buffered position compared to retail buyers.
MSI is also positioning itself to capitalize on the server market, targeting a 50-100% revenue boost in AI server sales, as noted by Tom's Hardware.
On a more positive note, the company plans to emphasize production of motherboards compatible with DDR4, in anticipation of sustained interest from price-sensitive buyers.