Why PC Motherboard Shipments Are Expected to Drop Sharply in 2026

That pressure flows directly into motherboard demand. If a compatible CPU is hard to find, DDR4 or DDR5 memory costs more, SSD pricing rises, or a GPU upgrade becomes less attractive, a DIY builder can postpone the entire PC upgrade — and the motherboard sale disappears with it ^[2][3][5][6].

The broader PC market is already under pressure

Omdia expects worldwide shipments of desktops, notebooks and workstations to fall 12% in 2026 to 245 million units, citing severe memory and storage supply challenges and an expected minimum 60% rise in memory and storage prices in Q1 2026 ^[1]. Omdia also says mainstream memory and storage configuration costs have risen by $90 to $165 since Q1 2025 ^[1].

Other forecasts point in the same direction, though the exact numbers differ. IDC-linked coverage says global PC shipments are expected to fall 11.3% in 2026, while a Gartner-linked report projected a 10.4% decline and tied the contraction to a large increase in DRAM and SSD prices ^[8][10]. The shared message is that component costs are rising, unit demand is weakening and buyers are being pushed toward delay, downgrade or longer device replacement cycles ^[1][2][6][8].

Why motherboards can be hit harder than complete PCs

PC brands can respond to cost spikes by raising prices or lowering specifications. Supply-chain reports say memory’s share of a PC bill of materials rose from about 15% to more than 30%, prompting brands to raise prices by 10% to 20% or reduce configurations ^[6][7]. A DIY buyer sees those same costs line by line. When RAM, CPUs and SSDs consume too much of the budget, buying a new motherboard is no longer the start of an upgrade; it becomes one of the easiest purchases to postpone ^[2][3][6].

CPU availability adds another layer of risk. Reports citing supply-chain sources say Intel and AMD capacity is being prioritized toward higher-profit data-center platforms such as Xeon and EPYC, tightening consumer CPU supply and lengthening lead times ^[6][7]. That is especially damaging for motherboard vendors because a board is tied to a socket and platform decision: fewer affordable CPUs means fewer practical reasons to buy compatible new boards.

Graphics-card dynamics are another headwind. Reports say expensive or slower GPU upgrade cycles are reducing enthusiast interest in broader platform refreshes, including moves to newer PCIe 5.0 motherboards ^[5][6].

What the 2026 motherboard reports say

The clearest motherboard-specific figures come from media reports citing DigiTimes and supply-chain sources, so they should be read as reported targets and forecasts rather than final full-year company shipment results.

That explains why motherboard headlines can look worse than the broader PC-market forecasts. A roughly 10% to 12% decline in finished PC shipments can coexist with steeper cuts at DIY motherboard makers because board sales depend heavily on enthusiasts deciding to rebuild now rather than keep existing systems longer ^[1][2][3][5].

Fewer units does not always mean less market value

One caveat: a shipment decline does not automatically mean the PC market falls by the same amount in dollars. IDC-linked coverage says higher average selling prices could push total PC market value upward even as unit shipments decline ^[8][9]. For consumers, though, that still points to the same problem: higher component costs can support revenue while suppressing the number of systems and parts people buy ^[8][9].

What could change the outlook

The forecast would look better if memory and storage prices eased, consumer CPU lead times normalized, GPU availability improved, or new platforms created enough demand to overcome higher build costs. For now, however, the cited forecasts and supply-chain reports tie the weakness to memory and storage supply challenges, AI-sector disruption, CPU shortages and weaker DIY upgrade appetite ^[1][5][6][8].

Bottom line

The expected motherboard shipment drop is a downstream effect of the AI-era component crunch. When RAM, SSDs, CPUs and GPUs become expensive or scarce, fewer people start new PC builds; when fewer people start new PC builds, they do not need new motherboards ^[2][3][6].