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Modern PC gaming has changed a lot from what it used to be and building your own system has become much more accessible, leading to a great number of individuals seeking out options to make their own build rather than relying on pre-built systems. Although gaming has taken a huge turn towards mobile lately with some of the biggest services where players find some here, PC gaming has certainly been on the rise over the past year, although this past year has become difficult with shortages, so what’s needed to know about the ongoing shortage issues within the market right now?
The semiconductor shortage has had a big impact
With the pandemic that hit last year it brought a halt to much of the production for the semiconductors that the majority of our electronics today rely massively on, the issue has been made increasingly aware with shortages for newer consoles like the PlayStation 5 for example where it has been suggested that production may not return to normal until 2022, but it has hit the PC enthusiast market too as products like GPU’s have fallen short of their own production goals in the same period of time too.
The crypto effect
Cryptocurrency and PC building have now had a long history as the GPU market has been tied to the success of crypto as a whole, many enthusiasts have become frustrated with how it has impacted the availability and the shortages it has led to over the same period of time. The growing crypto market continues to lead to shortages even despite the shortage in supply for semiconductors, and with this new wave of crypto support that has happened over the past few years it has only continued to fuel those looking to buy up flagship parts for mining.
Scalpers
Last but certainly not least, the PC part shortage has largely been driven once again by the scalpers as seen with other markets like consoles too. With the new release of the 3K series of Nvidia GPUs for example it had been suggested that even the manufacturer had been rising prices with other scalper methods, to drive the price up. As some online sites have been clamping down on the practice recently, it has helped to fix the issue a little, but it still remains a huge problem for those looking to go ahead with their new build.
There has been a way around it for some going down the pre-built route as stocks have already been secure for some of the pre-built systems but coming in at a higher cost and sometimes not to the exact spec that’s hoped it does turn some people away – it’ll be a while before the market clears up, and until it does the shortage will likely remain.
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