ZOTAC owner PC Partner warns entry-level GPU shortages will get worse in H2 2026

PC Partner, the parent company of ZOTAC, has issued a warning regarding the availability of entry-level graphics processing units. According to reports from VideoCardz.com and Wccftech, the company expects that shortages of these budget-friendly GPUs will worsen throughout the second half of 2026. These entry-level cards had been viewed by gamers as a final viable option for affordable hardware, but PC Partner indicates that severe shortages are now arriving. This development suggests a tightening market for the most accessible tier of gaming hardware during the latter part of the year. Coverage from Tom's Hardware highlights a specific tension between hardware manufacturers and analysts.

While the shortages persist, Tom's Hardware reports that some analysts suggest makers are hiking prices beyond the actual costs of memory. This indicates a potential discrepancy between supply-chain pressures and the final retail pricing passed on to consumers. Additionally, the Borneo Bulletin reports that these graphics card shortages could lead to a general increase in PC prices, extending the impact beyond just the GPUs to the overall cost of computing systems. Context for this trend is provided by GAMINGbible, which references a phenomenon described as the 'RAMpocalypse.' This suggests a broader instability in memory and component availability that is affecting the PC market. As budget-friendly components become harder to secure or more expensive, GAMINGbible suggests that alternatives to the Steam Machine may see a surge in popularity.

This shift reflects a growing trend where users may move away from custom-built PCs toward alternative hardware solutions when entry-level components become unavailable or unaffordable. Future developments to monitor include the actual price trajectories of budget cards and the reaction of the consumer market to the PC Partner warnings. Based on the provided coverage, observers are watching to see if manufacturers continue to raise prices above memory costs and whether the predicted H2 2026 shortages materialize as described. The extent to which the 'RAMpocalypse' affects other hardware categories remains a point of interest, as does the potential for a widespread transition toward Steam Machine alternatives as a result of these hardware constraints.