PC hardware prices are brutal, so I'm upgrading everything else

When you purchase through links in our articles, we may earn a small commission. PC hardware prices are brutal, so I'm upgrading everything else If upgrading the PC itself is a financial horror show, there's still plenty of fun to be had around it. The 2020s have been brutal for PC gamers, as the furious rise of AI sent graphics card prices skyrocketing. In 2026, AI's insatiable hunger has affected seemingly everything with a microchip, as the cost for memory, storage, and even CPUs are making even the laptops and phones you buy more expensive, to say nothing of desktops. So what's a PC enthusiast with upgrade eyes bigger than their budget supposed to do?