Japanese electronics retailer Applied has issued a warning that GPU prices could rise further in the near future, though it has not yet specified which models will be affected. This comes as the PC hardware market continues to struggle with shortages and inflated prices. Consumers are being advised to purchase GPUs now, but for many, the current prices are already prohibitively high. The situation has been exacerbated by a global shortage of RAM, a critical component in both consumer and gaming PCs. This shortage has driven up the cost of video RAM, which is essential for graphics cards, leading to higher prices across the board. In Japan, where the PC hardware market is particularly active, retailers in Akihabara—a famous electronics district—have already raised GPU prices by 20% to 30% compared to usual, with similar increases expected in other regions as well. Reports indicate that Nvidia’s board partners are also considering price hikes, suggesting that the increase may not be limited to Japan. The RAM crisis, which has shown no signs of abating, is expected to persist beyond 2027, according to industry analysts and companies like Samsung. This ongoing scarcity has made it difficult for manufacturers to keep up with demand, further straining the supply chain. Despite these challenges, experts caution against panic buying, as many high-end GPUs are already overpriced or simply unaffordable for the average consumer. For example, the Nvidia RTX 5080 is currently priced at $1,699 at Best Buy in the U.S., far above its original retail price. Similarly, the RTX 5060, which has an MSRP of $299, is being sold for between $450 and $500. AMD’s Radeon RX 9070 XT, which should cost $599, is now available for up to $929, while the Radeon RX 9060 XT (16GB) is priced $200 to $300 above its MSRP. These inflated prices highlight the ongoing instability in the PC hardware market.