SINGAPORE, Sept 13 — Consumers looking for a new laptop or desktop may want to think twice, as PC prices here have skyrocketed by as much as 40 per cent amid a global shortage of key components.

The squeeze is being driven largely by the artificial intelligence boom, which is consuming huge quantities of computer memory, storage and graphics cards as companies expand data centres, The Straits Times reported today.

The average price of a regular laptop in Singapore rose 26 per cent year-on-year to S$1,650 (RM5,200) in the second quarter of 2026, from about S$1,300 (RM4,100), according to the latest data from research firm IDC.

Regular desktops were up 28 per cent to S$1,410 (RM4,450), while gaming desktops jumped 39 per cent to nearly S$1,860 (RM5,870). Gaming laptops rose 17 per cent to S$2,890 (RM9,110).

The biggest pressure point is RAM, or computer memory, as manufacturers divert production towards companies building AI infrastructure, where demand and profit margins are higher.

“Since last year, the PC market has seen significant price hikes, driven largely by the memory shortage crisis that has affected the whole information technology industry,” IDC Asia Pacific associate research analyst Ho Jin Wei was quoted as saying.

The Straits Times said it checked at Singapore’s Sim Lim Square and found the average price of a 32GB DDR5 RAM kit had nearly quadrupled from S$195 (RM615) in August 2025 to S$763 (RM2,410) in August this year.

The average price of a 1TB internal solid-state drive more than doubled from S$149 (RM470) to S$328 (RM1,035), while Nvidia’s 5060 series graphics cards rose 44 per cent from S$572 (RM1,805) to S$824 (RM2,600).

IDC expects PC prices to remain elevated throughout 2027, with only a slight easing likely in the second half of the year.

“With major graphics card makers reportedly planning further price increases for their respective product lines in the last six months of 2026, this could push PC prices up further,” Ho was quoted as saying.

He added that any meaningful easing in PC prices was more likely to come in 2028 and beyond.

The squeeze is already being felt by Singapore’s computer retailers, with four shops at Sim Lim Square telling The Straits Times that sales had fallen by between 20 per cent and 80 per cent this year compared with 2025.

John Soroya, owner of R Zech Laptop, said sales of new and refurbished computers had plunged 80 per cent.

“It’s very, very difficult. Sometimes we cannot cover our rent,” he said.

Some consumers are now holding off purchases in the hope that prices will fall, while businesses and enthusiasts continue buying despite the higher costs.

Bizgram sales assistant Bryan Fun said some customers had bought computers two to three months ago because they feared prices would rise further, but more were now taking a wait-and-see approach.

He said suppliers had also informed the store that motherboard prices rose by about 10 per cent in September.