The hardware market is facing significant challenges with soaring RAM prices causing steep sales declines and stock drops, while Intel’s ARC GPUs gain a small market foothold and AMD denies AI as a bubble, emphasizing strong ongoing demand. Additionally, Samsung may shift to more volatile memory pricing, new Chinese CPUs and GPUs emerge, and Sony updates the PS5 Slim’s cooling design, all amid rising costs and shifting industry dynamics.
The hardware news recap begins with a grim update on the current state of the computer hardware market, particularly focusing on memory pricing and sales. November has been described as a “bloodbath” for many hardware manufacturers, with year-over-year sales declines ranging from 30% to 60% for non-silicon products like computer cases and cooling solutions. The main culprit is the skyrocketing RAM prices, which have tripled, severely impacting consumer spending and causing stock prices of companies like Corsair to fall. Some Chinese manufacturers have seen declines as well, though a few budget-focused CPU cooler makers have managed to stabilize by shifting towards data center and AI-related products.
On a more positive note, Intel’s ARC GPUs have finally appeared on market share reports, capturing about 1% of the add-in board GPU market, which is a small but notable gain against Nvidia’s dominant 92% share. AMD also saw a slight increase in market share. Despite Nvidia’s overwhelming dominance, this marks a modest step toward more competition in the GPU space. The report also highlighted some economic commentary unusual for the industry, attributing part of the market downturn to broader socio-economic turmoil and inflation concerns.
AMD CEO Lisa Su addressed the topic of AI industry fears, emphatically denying that AI is a bubble. She stated that the AI sector is just getting started and that concerns about a bubble are overstated. Su emphasized the real demand for AI computing power, driven by ongoing innovation and the need for more advanced capabilities. This stance aligns with Nvidia’s CEO Jensen Huang’s recent focus on defense and data center applications for AI, signaling a shift away from traditional consumer markets toward enterprise and government sectors.
Samsung is reportedly considering changes to its memory supply contracts, moving from long-term agreements to quarterly pricing, which could increase price volatility for memory buyers and ultimately consumers. This is happening amid rising costs for mobile DRAM and high bandwidth memory, driven by demand from AI accelerators and data centers. TrendForce revised its demand growth forecasts downward for gaming consoles and notebooks in 2026, reflecting the impact of rising component costs on consumer devices like the Xbox Series and PS5. An executive from a memory company blamed AI data centers for exacerbating the memory shortage and price hikes, highlighting the tension between enterprise and consumer needs.
The video also covered several other hardware updates, including new Chinese GPUs from Xanden based on Imagination Technologies IP, a corrected typo issue from the Haven case manufacturer, Sony’s revised thermal design for the PS5 Slim to prevent liquid metal leaks, and a new Chinese gaming PC featuring a domestically produced Hygon CPU derived from AMD Zen architecture. Finally, Microsoft’s quirky new Xbox-themed Crocs were introduced as a lighthearted ending to the episode, providing gamers with a non-electronic, novelty product amid the otherwise serious hardware market challenges.