The cost of buying parts for your next gaming PC build is about to go up, according to comments made by component manufacturers and custom PC builders. The recently announced import tariffs by the Trump administration look set to hit the price of a number of components, including PC cases and graphics cards.
As far as the industry is concerned, tariffs are likely to force consumer prices to rise across the board, no matter whether you’re planning the best gaming PC or a more budget-focused build. Companies such as InWin and Silverstone have already shared their concerns, but in the end, it’s gamers who will end up paying the price.
These industry fears were shared in comments made to PC Mag. Kelt Reeves, who runs Falcon Northwest, explained that his business, which builds custom PCs, has already been “affected heavily” by 20% tariffs on Chinese-based products, but was caught off guard by a further 25% tariffs on any kind of aluminum imports, such as PC cases. Reeves also expects that a second, additional 25% tariff on PC cases could take effect by the end of May, taking the tariff cost up to 70% in total.
Silverstone, the PC hardware manufacturer who recently released a beige box PC case, was also affected by the 20% general tariffs, along with the 25% additional tariffs on products from China, telling PC Mag that it will be “passing on these price increases to our customers as needed.” InWin, another PC case manufacturer, also suggested that once its inventory runs low, it “may need to adjust [its] prices soon” to compensate.
While PC case manufacturers such as InWin and Silverstone are affected, other PC components aren’t immune from these trade costs. Two tariff codes, listed by the Trump administrator, are likely to hit imports for PC components, but code 8473.30.5100 in particular is likely to affect top-end components too, such as CPUs and GPUs. According to the Consumer Technology Association, the trade body for electronic manufacturers, there are “no exceptions” to tariffs on PC parts such as graphics cards, which universally meet the criteria.
These comments were made before Donald Trump’s announcement of universal, “reciprocal” tariffs on April 3, which includes a 34% tariff on Chinese goods and a 32% tariff on goods from Taiwan. We’ll have to see how big of an impact these new trade costs will have on the market and how much more gamers will end up paying for their parts over the coming months.
If you’re worried about prices, it might be time to build that new gaming rig before any potential rises. You can check out our how to build a gaming PC guide for the steps you’ll need to take to get the job done, from picking parts to finishing off your Windows installation.
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