SINGAPORE — Consumers who plan to buy a new personal computer are in for sticker shock.Latest market data from research firm IDC shows that average prices have surged by up to 40 per cent in the second quarter of 2026 from a year ago, driven by component shortages.Specifically, computer memory, storage and graphics cards are in short supply because the expansion of global data centres to support artificial intelligence services has consumed the bulk of these components.IDC expects PC prices to remain high throughout 2027, dipping slightly only towards the second half of 2027.IDC figures show that the average price here for regular laptops rose by 26 per cent to $1,650 in the second quarter of 2026, from about $1,300 a year ago. These are laptops that run the Windows operating system, typically with 16GB of computer memory – or random-access memory (RAM) – and a 512GB solid-state drive (SSD).The average price of regular desktops was up 28 per cent, from around $1,100 to $1,410 over the same period. More powerful desktops geared towards gaming had their average price jump 39 per cent, from $1,330 to nearly $1,860.
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