Top analyst firm Gartner predicts the 'sub-$500 entry-level PC segment will disappear by 2028', along with worldwide PC shipment decline of 10.4% in 2026

Top analyst firm Gartner predicts the ‘sub-$500 entry-level PC segment will disappear by 2028’, along with worldwide PC shipment decline of 10.4% in 2026 | PC Gamer Skip to main content Open menu Close main menu PC Gamer THE GLOBAL AUTHORITY ON PC GAMES US Edition UK US Canada Australia Subscribe Sign in View Profile Sign out Search Search PC Gamer Games Hardware News Reviews Guides Video Forum More PC Gaming Show PC Gamer Clips Software Codes Coupons Movies & TV Magazine Newsletter Affiliate links Meet the team Community guidelines About PC Gamer PC Gamer Magazine SubscriptionWhy subscribe?Subscribe to the world’s #1 PC gaming magTry a single issue or save on a subscriptionIssues delivered straight to your door or device From$1Subscribe now Don’t miss these Memory The company that stopped making memory for gamers just explained how important memory is for gamers. Yeah, really Gaming PCs Holy RAMpocalypse! Here’s an RTX 5070 Ti gaming PC with a load of RAM and SSD storage, all inexplicably at last year’s price Gaming PCs Best gaming PC builds: Shop all our recommended system builds as we ride out the RAMpocalypse Memory Many consumer electronics manufacturers ‘will go bankrupt or exit product lines’ by the end of 2026 due to the AI memory crisis, Phison CEO reportedly says Memory Explainer: The RAMpocalypse is making memory, SSDs, and even GPUs much more expensive, and it’s all down to AI Gaming PCs Best cheap gaming PC deals SSDs Unfortunately, all of that doomsaying last year was correct and SSD prices are surging as a result of the memory crisis Hardware The RAM crisis is just getting started: Micron makes the ‘difficult decision’ to abandon the consumer memory business to focus on supplying AI data centers Graphics Cards Nvidia is reportedly looking to cut gaming GPU production by up to 40% in 2026 due to VRAM supply issues, but it’s not as bad news as you might think. Not yet, at least Graphics Cards Nvidia reportedly won’t release any new RTX graphics cards this year, and the RTX 60-series is said to be pushed back, too Gaming PCs I have to ask what this prebuilt gaming PC is doing with 32 GB of DDR5 RAM—but for only $1,235, I can afford to ask fewer questions Memory Relief that the worst is over or just the calm before the hurricane continues? Some reports suggest that DRAM prices have plateaued or even fallen Memory The three big players in computer memory are all building new factories but it probably won’t help DRAM prices until 2028, if then Memory Tech price rises: Tracking the PC memory and SSD supply crisis, now with added GPU fun Memory Because of AI ‘memory’s become sexy again’. That’s what Micron told us as the alarm bells for the RAMpocalypse began ringing in 2024, but we just didn’t listen PopularNEW: PC Gamer Clips!Resident EvilArc RaidersBest PC gearGame Quizzes Hardware Gaming PCs Top analyst firm Gartner predicts the ‘sub-$500 entry-level PC segment will disappear by 2028’, along with worldwide PC shipment decline of 10.4% in 2026 News By Andy Edser published 2 March 2026 ‘This is the steepest contraction in device shipments witnessed in over a decade’. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works. (Image credit: Future) Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Reddit Pinterest Flipboard Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter PC Gamer Get the PC Gamer Newsletter Keep up to date with the most important stories and the best deals, as picked by the PC Gamer team. Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. You are now subscribed Your newsletter sign-up was successful Want to add more newsletters? Every Friday GamesRadar+ Your weekly update on everything you could ever want to know about the games you already love, games we know you’re going to love in the near future, and tales from the communities that surround them. Signup + Every Thursday GTA 6 O’clock Our special GTA 6 newsletter, with breaking news, insider info, and rumor analysis from the award-winning GTA 6 O’clock experts. Signup + Every Friday Knowledge From the creators of Edge: A weekly videogame industry newsletter with analysis from expert writers, guidance from professionals, and insight into what’s on the horizon. Signup + Every Thursday The Setup Hardware nerds unite, sign up to our free tech newsletter for a weekly digest of the hottest new tech, the latest gadgets on the test bench, and much more. Signup + Every Wednesday Switch 2 Spotlight Sign up to our new Switch 2 newsletter, where we bring you the latest talking points on Nintendo’s new console each week, bring you up to date on the news, and recommend what games to play. Signup + Every Saturday The Watchlist Subscribe for a weekly digest of the movie and TV news that matters, direct to your inbox. From first-look trailers, interviews, reviews and explainers, we’ve got you covered. Signup + Once a month SFX Get sneak previews, exclusive competitions and details of special events each month! Signup + An account already exists for this email address, please log in. Subscribe to our newsletter It wasn’t too long ago you could pick up a sub-$500 gaming PC or gaming laptop in the yearly sales. Sure, it’d almost certainly be reliant on an iGPU or older tech, and it wouldn’t be the most powerful machine in the world.But thanks to the ongoing memory crisis (and various other supply chain factors), budget PC prices have been creeping up—and now top analyst firm Gartner is predicting that even sub-$500, entry-level, non-gaming PCs will have disappeared by 2028.That’s according to a press release on the Gartner website, which makes for some grim reading for prospective PC buyers (via Wccftech). The report begins with a sobering thought: “Soaring memory costs are projected to drive worldwide PC shipments to decline 10.4%” in 2026. Related articles PC shipments grew in 2025 but the market ‘will be far different in 12 months given how quickly the memory situation is evolving’ PC gaming has a pricing problem, and the memory crisis is compounding it in a way that’s utterly heartbreaking for our hobby Acer and Asus will also pass on surging memory costs to the consumer, highlighting a growing industry-wide consensus “Gartner estimates a 130% surge in combined DRAM and solid-state drive (SSD) prices by the end of 2026, which will increase PC prices by 17% and smartphone prices by 13%, compared to 2025 levels. This situation will concentrate demand on premium devices.”Ranjit Atrwal, a senior director analyst at the firm, said: “This is the steepest contraction in device shipments witnessed in over a decade. Higher prices will narrow the range of devices available, prompting buyers to hold on to devices for longer, f