Acer Forecasts PC Price Hikes Up to 20% Through 2027

Fourth-Quarter Price Hikes and Component Realities

Personal computer end-market prices remain on an upward trajectory as manufacturers absorb sustained cost pressures from memory and solid-state drives. According to Acer Chairman and CEO Jason Chen, systems configured with larger amounts of RAM or storage will bear the brunt of the upcoming adjustments, pushing finished hardware prices up by 5% to 20% in the fourth quarter of 2026.

This ongoing inflation persists even though baseline component availability has largely stabilized. Chen noted that DDR4 and DDR5 memory are no longer facing broad supply shortages, and CPU inventories are mostly normal outside of select low-end and mid-range chips. However, because memory and SSD production costs remain elevated, those supply improvements have not yet translated to cheaper finished hardware for consumers.

Divergent Market Trends and Diverging Pricing Data

The wider semiconductor market is currently navigating a chaotic phase defined by a widening gap between spot prices and long-term contract pricing. According to TrendForce pricing data from September, DDR4 chip spot average prices continue to edge downward, while DDR5 spot prices register modest gains. At the same time, contract prices negotiated directly between original manufacturers and system vendors still show double-digit month-over-month increases.

This friction has created a split market where sellers eager to offload inventory at lower rates operate alongside original manufacturers pushing through further price increases. Acer leadership has characterized some of these supplier price hikes as difficult to justify, pointing to expanding production capacity in China—including plans by CXMT to enter the NAND flash market and ongoing fab expansions by YMTC—as a future pressure point that makes a multi-year shortage through 2030 unlikely.

Timeline to a Price Peak in Mid-2027

Relief for PC buyers is unlikely to arrive quickly, as a natural time lag separates component manufacturing from retail shelves. According to Chen, even if component procurement costs begin to fall earlier, it takes several months for cheaper parts to cycle through manufacturing, shipping, and retail networks. Consequently, Acer expects average selling prices for personal computers to peak around the middle of 2027, with potential price declines following in the second half of that year.

Frequently Asked Questions

When will PC prices stop rising?

Acer Chairman and CEO Jason Chen expects average selling prices for personal computers to peak around mid-2027, with potential price declines arriving in the second half of 2027.

How much will PC prices increase in late 2026?

Acer estimates that finished PC prices will rise by approximately 5% to 20% in the fourth quarter of 2026, depending on the memory and SSD storage configuration of each model.

Are memory shortages still affecting the computer industry?

According to Acer, DDR4 and DDR5 memory are no longer in broad short supply, but memory and SSD procurement costs remain high, preventing lower component costs from immediately reaching consumer hardware.

Why do lower component costs take months to reach store shelves?

Industry executives note a significant time lag between wholesale component adjustments and end-market retail pricing, as cheaper parts must first work their way through manufacturing, assembly, and global shipping pipelines.