THE CRUNCH
Shipments of desktop graphics cards hit a four-year high of 12.5 million units in Q2, with Nvidia taking a dominant 90% market share as buyers rush to secure hardware before prices rise further.
The surge in desktop add-in-board shipments occurred despite rising prices and a drop in overall desktop PC sales, according to Jon Peddie Research. The data suggests that gamers are prioritising discrete graphics cards over full systems to beat looming price spikes.
Nvidia captured 90% of the desktop graphics card market during this period, leaving little room for competitors. This dominance highlights how consumer demand for high-performance hardware is outpacing the broader slump in desktop PC sales.
The timing of the spike points to a strategic consumer response to anticipated price increases, rather than a return to normal demand patterns. This behaviour could pressure manufacturers to maintain higher price points even if overall market volume stabilises.