In the second quarter, the PC market exhibited a highly unusual phenomenon.
Prices for memory, storage, and graphics cards have been climbing, yet domestic desktop shipments have surprisingly surged by 42%, completely contradicting the common assumption that higher prices lead to lower sales.
Users who have built PCs recently must have felt it keenly: prices for memory and storage have risen significantly, and even graphics cards and monitors are starting to get more expensive.
Previously, a decent desktop could be built for 5,000–6,000 yuan, but this year, the same configuration easily costs over 10,000 yuan, severely impacting the DIY market.
Behind the hardware price hikes, upstream memory manufacturers have shifted more production capacity to AI servers, squeezing the supply of consumer-grade RAM and VRAM. Coupled with low industry inventory levels earlier on, this has further driven up market prices.
However, Omdia's latest data shows that in Q2 2026, PC shipments in mainland China grew by 11% year-over-year, reaching 11.4 million units. Desktop shipments surged by 42%, offsetting a 2% decline in laptop shipments, with respective volumes of 4.3 million and 7.1 million units.
Even as individual enthusiasm for building PCs declines, overall desktop shipments remain strong, with growth primarily coming from the commercial sector. Many enterprises and institutions are entering equipment renewal cycles, leading to concentrated demand for replacing IT innovation (Xinchuang) devices and bulk desktop purchases.
Enterprise procurement is less affected by short-term component price hikes; replacements proceed as scheduled, directly boosting overall shipment figures.
The individual consumer and enterprise markets are showing a stark divergence. Offline computer malls see fewer inquiries from individual builders and fewer orders, while merchants adjust their quotes daily.
Meanwhile, brand manufacturers continue to receive large-volume orders, with most factory desktop production capacity allocated to government and enterprise procurement.
This market divergence serves as a reminder to ordinary users. Individuals without urgent needs should avoid buying hardware at peak prices and can continue to monitor market trends.
Industry analysts also note that whether memory and graphics card prices will fall depends on upstream manufacturers' capacity allocation and the sustained demand for AI servers.
At least based on current data, price hikes have not halted the replacement cycle for commercial desktops, but the individual consumer market is clearly under pressure.