ASUS, GIGABYTE and MSI are reportedly lining up more motherboard price rises as PCB costs go through the roof.
The latest muttering comes from Board Channels, which follows graphics card and motherboard distribution. It claims the three motherboard outfits are preparing another round of increases in the third quarter of 2026.
According to Videocardz the problem starts with printed circuit boards, which are not getting any cheaper. PCB prices for consumer motherboards are expected to rise by at least 50 per cent during 2026.
That is not the only bit of the bill heading north. Copper, surface-mount capacitors, power components and supporting controller chips have all become pricier.
The timing is awkward, since the DIY PC market is not exactly partying. Motherboard shipments have dropped, leaving manufacturers with fewer units to soak up development, production and logistics costs.
Launching endless boards for current-generation sockets probably did not help much. The vendors now have to support a fat catalogue while buyers sit on their wallets.
Manufacturers have struggled to dump the full cost increase on customers. ASUS, GIGABYTE and MSI are expected to tweak channel pricing in the third quarter to claw margins back for themselves and distributors.
The upgrade argument is pretty thin. Intel’s Core Ultra 200 series looks close to the end of the road for its current platform, while AMD has not given mainstream punters much Zen 6 excitement to chew on.
Higher memory prices make the whole thing even less tempting. It is a fine bit of industry logic to push memory-focused motherboard features while making the boards harder to justify buying.
The result is another squeeze for PC builders. Anyone waiting for motherboard prices to calm down may find the channel has other ideas.
