- A new IDC study shows an increase in desktop -pc and sale of laptop in North America compared to Q1 2024
- This is probably a result of US Customs Insurance where producers warn consumers of possible deficiency
- There is a chance that 90-day break could be turned back
While the PC hardware market has always had cases of high demand for certain desktop components (especially GPUs) and laptops, it is undoubtedly to hit unprecedented level due to US tariffs, and a new study confirms this.
As reported by NoteBookcheck, evidence from IDC (which tracks hardware sales) suggests that the sale of desktop and laptop in North America has added to us since US tariffs were implemented, and producers have also warned consumers about potential deficiency in supply, which effectively led to panic purchases.
The study shows that in the 1st quarter of 2025 compared to Q1 2024, the portable sale has increased by 26.9%and desktops increased by 35.3%. This seems to come from a fear that prices can suddenly skyrocket or, worse, sales can be paused. We have seen this happen to Razer, who previously stopped his portable sale due to US tariffs.
In particular, there is still a 90-day break that is active on major tariffs, while 10% basic riff on imports into the United States remains. However, there is uncertainty as to whether this will be undone, which can affect the sale of PC hardware. A large majority of PC hardware production takes place in China, and duty is now up to 145% on all its imports to the United States.
Therefore, it is no surprise to see sales hiking significantly before cases spiral out of control – and based on the trend in the GPU market, it may be a good idea to buy any PC hardware for the retail price, while things are relatively stable – as who knows what chaos the US Tarrfs can loosen if they are reinstated.
Now is the best time to buy what you need just not to any ridiculous pricing
The demand for PC hardware is arguably the highest it has been (especially compared to the Covid-19 period), but the one thing we must not do is buy overpriced.
While I want to say that this is especially true when it comes to GPUs, with prices risen far above what they launched on, the same applies to pre-built desktop PCs and laptops. Fortunately, I have not seen cases of neither pre -built systems nor laptops that are obscene overpriced, which is probably because they have always been a little expensive to begin with (especially advanced configurations).
I am sure we all hope that tariffs do not get out of hand and since there is not much clarity about how the PC market will be affected in the near future can now be the best time to jump on all appealing hardware deals you find.
