PC market witnessed a massive contraction in Q3 of 2026: Gartner
Global PC shipments fell by 22.4% in the third quarter of 2026 due to a sharp increase in component costs, particularly DRAM. Gartner reports that vendors passed these costs to consumers, leading to a significant decline in demand.
Why it matters
The contraction reflects broader economic pressures and supply chain volatility affecting the global technology hardware market.
Global personal computer (PC) market witnessed a massive contraction in the third quarter of 2026, with worldwide shipments plummeting 22.4% year-over-year to total 55.4 million units, according to data released by market tracker, Gartner.
This steep downturn has effectively dragged shipment volumes back down to levels last seen in the first quarter of 2023. Unlike previous market slumps driven by excess inventory, this recent collapse was primarily triggered by severe component cost inflation, it said.
“The impact of higher memory and storage costs is now fully reflected in PC pricing. DRAM costs surged five times year-over-year in the second quarter, and PC vendors passed those higher component costs on to customers, driving the steep decline in PC shipments during the third quarter,” said Namrata Banerjee, Principal, Research at Gartner.
PC shipments have fallen to levels last seen in early 2023, though the market dynamics were noticeably different, Mt. Banerjee added.
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