GPU inventory recovery derails a batch of sauce for motherboard makers

GPU inventory recovery derails a batch of sauce for motherboard makers

Motherboard sales are set to drop quite a bit as 2022 progresses, and one reason might surprise you: namely, the dwindling shortage of graphics cards (and their prices).

This news comes from sources consulted by DigiTimes (opens in new tab), who are aware of the alleged predictions of the two biggest motherboard players in the PC component market. Asus and Gigabyte account for around 70% of motherboard sales, with the two companies expecting the volume of shipped units to drop 25% over the rest of the year.

Apparently, the number of motherboard shipments for the second quarter has already shown a drop in numbers, a bigger drop than expected, in fact, and forecasts show that this situation will deteriorate further in the third quarter (and very soon). probably also in the fourth trimester). ).

A quarter drop in mobo sales is a big drop, with the main contributing factors cited being lower demand in China's DIY PC building market, as well as the fact that the end of the road has been reached for bundle GPUs with motherboards to make a tempting (but expensive) package.

It's a practice you're probably familiar with since GPU stock levels began to suffer long after the pandemic began. When gamers couldn't afford a graphics card, let alone at inflated prices, they were willing to spend even more money to get one as part of a hardware bundle.

This included GPU plus motherboard bundles, and in some cases system RAM as well. In fact, there were a small number of desperate people who would buy an entire PC just to put the RTX 3000 or RX 6000 graphics card in it, swap out that GPU in their rig, put their old GPU in that newly purchased PC, and then resell it. it's. on eBay (or just sell all the components separately).

Messy and downright ridiculous way of doing things, but that's downright ridiculous trying to buy a GPU at the worst of times.

Analysis: New hardware doesn't come to the rescue of mobo sales either

MSI MPG X570 GAMING PRO CARBON WIFI GAMING MOTHERBOARD

(Image credit: MSI)

The GPU crisis finally eased is great news for consumers, of course, but bad news for motherboard manufacturers. Not that there's much sympathy for the latter, given that effectively forcing motherboard sales by pairing them with highly sought-after graphics cards wasn't, shall we say, best practice. .

Clearly, then, the GPU and mobo bundles must have been popular enough, if they helped drive motherboard sales to such an extent that there is a measurable impact of this practice that is now becoming moot.

But wait a minute, you might be thinking: won't there be new processors from AMD and Intel later this year that should help boost motherboard sales volumes? In fact, AMD's Zen 4 chips will need a new socket and thus a new motherboard, and we also have 13th Gen Intel Raptor Lake processors.

However, the sources DigiTimes spoke to believe these new hardware releases will do nothing to help stem the decline in motherboard sales, though if things change in the world at large, it could have a more positive impact. to stop losses. By this they mean either an end to the war in Ukraine or a slowing down of the seemingly relentless pace of inflation.

Of course, Raptor Lake will have limited impact in terms of motherboard upgrades anyway, as not everyone who bought Alder Lake will need to upgrade their motherboard (they will use the same socket). And Zen 4 might come too late in the year to drive motherboard sales that much.

While he's been rumored to be aiming for a September release for Zen 4 (and has done so multiple times), that could be wrong, or it could indeed be the time frame for a reveal, but it might not be for a while. that a considerable volume of Ryzen 7000 processors are on the shelves.

Today's best graphics card deals

https://t.myvisualiq.net/impression_pixel?r=hawk-cache&et=i&ago=212&ao=803&aca=123513&si=1943169&ci=234568&pi=356748&ad=-4&advt=1943169&chnl=-4&vndr=1481&sz=8336&u16=|94pt36  yo

Via Tom's Hardware(Opens in a new tab)