Promoted article (contains affiliate links)
The major chip and hardware shortage in the PC market isn’t expected to improve in 2022, presenting PC gamers who hope to upgrade with an ongoing headache.
CK Kohli, gaming PC builder veteran, Yoyotech founder and MD of new system builder Alpha Beta PC, which recently launched new systems with Intel’s 12th gen Alder Lake processors (pictured above), shared his views of the hardware shortage.
Tech such as graphics cards, processors and new DDR5 RAM are seeing ongoing shortages. And CK doesn’t think the situation will improve next year.
“It’s here to stay because the demand is just so high,” CK told Esports News UK.
“I’ve never seen anything like this in my 30-year career. And I think the prices will keep going up, not down. Some customers have tried waiting… but then there is still no stock to buy. So it’s a new world and a new way of working.
“We try to server our community the best we can, so we’re holding back stock for systems [rather than selling components], so we can help people looking for PCs.”
“I’ve never seen anything like this in my 30-year career. And I think the prices will keep going up in 2022, not down. Some customers have tried waiting… but then there is still no stock to buy. So it’s a new world and a new way of working.”
CK Kohli, Alpha Beta PC
Alpha Beta PC currently has availability of DDR5 with its 12th gen systems – the i7 and i9 Intel chips being most popular. They are available with Alpha Beta PC’s Edge and Imperial desktop systems, with the differences between the two purely cosmetic: Edge is a full-glass system while Imperial has NZXT casing.
“There are major shortages of DDR5 memory right now, but I’m happy to say we have availability with our 12th gen systems,” CK added.
“DDR5 is next-gen memory that offers a mix of performance and future proofing. It’s PCIe 4.0 compliant, so it’s a bit faster and good if you want to future-proof yourself, as is the 12th gen Intel Alder Lake processors.
“At the moment, DDR5 is not that fast, but in the coming year there will be versions of DDR5 coming up that will be higher in speed, so that will further affect performance and bandwidth.”
For those interested in Alpha Beta PC‘s systems, you can use the code ENUK08 at checkout for an exclusive £50 discount, thanks to Esports News UK’s partnership with Alpha Beta PC. You can also see more esports hardware and Alpha Beta PC content on Esports News UK’s Hardware Corner.
Promoted article (contains affiliate links)
Dom is an award-winning writer and finalist of the Esports Journalist of the Year 2023 award. He graduated from Bournemouth University with a 2:1 degree in Multi-Media Journalism in 2007.
As a long-time gamer having first picked up the NES controller in the late ’80s, he has written for a range of publications including GamesTM, Nintendo Official Magazine, industry publication MCV and others. He worked as head of content for the British Esports Federation up until February 2021, when he stepped back to work full-time on Esports News UK and offer esports consultancy and freelance services. Note: Dom still produces the British Esports newsletter on a freelance basis, so our coverage of British Esports is always kept simple – usually just covering the occasional press release – because of this conflict of interest.
