A Japanese distributor warns of 20-40% price increases on Gigabyte graphics cards starting this month due to GPU scarcity in Asia.

Graphics card prices are poised for significant increases across Asia, signaling a wider wave of pricing pressure expected to reach the U.S. market. CFD Sales Inc., a major Japanese technology distributor, has announced price revisions of 20% to 40% on Gigabyte graphics cards, effective for orders placed from August 1, 2026. In its official revision notice, the company stated the adjustments represent approximately 120% to 140% of current prices compared to previous levels, citing manufacturer price revisions as the reason.

The price pressures stem from sustained demand for AI hardware, which continues to strain memory chip supply and production capacity. Chipmakers are struggling to meet this unprecedented demand, driving up costs across the semiconductor supply chain—a burden that manufacturers are passing directly to consumers. The impact is already visible across the region: graphics card prices have climbed sharply in recent weeks in China, South Korea, and other Asian markets.

While one U.S. retailer confirmed to Tom's Hardware that it has not yet received formal notice of price adjustments, the same retailer reported hearing from Taiwan about Nvidia raising graphics card prices, suggesting these increases originate upstream from manufacturers and distributors. Industry observers expect these regional increases will eventually reach the U.S. market, though the timing and magnitude remain uncertain.

The cumulative effect of price hikes this year has already eroded value propositions significantly. The RTX 5060, launched at $299, now retails closer to the $379 MSRP of the RTX 5060 Ti 8GB. Popular mid-range models like the GeForce RTX 5070 and Radeon RX 9070 are currently selling 15% and 18% above their original MSRPs, respectively. Further increases could push these cards toward the $900 mark—a stark shift from just two years ago, when equivalent spending could build an entire gaming system. With Blackwell and RDNA 4 cards already priced well above MSRP outside of promotional periods, additional rounds of price increases would compress value propositions further up the product stack.