Given the intense interest in Artificial Intelligence (AI), it’s not surprising that component prices have been steadily climbing. We were previously warned about a significant imbalance between supply and demand, leading to scarcity. Contrary to expectations of a swift return to normal pricing, the situation has worsened, particularly for RAM and SSDs, which have seen continuous price hikes. However, fortunately, the opposite appears to be happening with GPUs. According to 3DCenter’s analysis of graphics card prices in German retailers, May has finally seen price reductions, with some cards now costing the same as they did in late 2025 and early 2026.
The most impacted by the AI boom in terms of price increases has been RAM, initially affecting PCs and then extending to consoles, mobile devices, and other electronic gadgets. This was followed by a surge in SSD prices, with 1TB now costing around 150 euros, a significant jump from the approximately 80 euros it cost just a couple of years ago. While not directly used in data centers for AI training, gaming GPUs also saw their prices rise due to increased memory costs, making them more expensive overall.
Graphics Card Price Drops in Europe in May 2026, Some Match September 2025 Prices
Examining price trends over the months on Geizhals, a prominent German price comparison website similar to Idealo in Spain, reveals a consistent upward trend in recent months. Starting from September, when RAM was still affordable, we observed price increases in some graphics cards by December, notably the RTX 5090 with 32GB of VRAM, which rose by 350 euros. January saw a much more substantial price increase, which continued through February and March. In April, a slight decrease was noted for some cards, and by May, virtually all graphics cards have experienced price drops.
Starting with the 8GB RTX 5050, these entry-level graphics cards, priced at 232 euros in September 2025, peaked at 269 euros in February and are now slightly cheaper at 261 euros. The 8GB RTX 5060 in May 2026 is priced almost identically to its September price of 289 euros, making it a clearly better option than the RTX 5050. The 8GB RTX 5060 Ti is even more affordable in May 2026, costing 318 euros, a 7% decrease from its September 2025 price of 341 euros.
May 2025 Prices Remain 12% Higher on Average Than September, But Show an 8% Drop from February
The next card on the list is the 16GB RTX 5060 Ti, which cost 416 euros in September, reached a peak of 547 euros in February, and currently stands at 529 euros, unchanged from the previous month. The 12GB RTX 5070 is priced at 559 euros in May 2026, a 6% increase compared to September, but considerably lower than the 619 euros it cost in February. The 16GB RTX 5070 Ti has also seen a price reduction to 889 euros, 20 euros less than last year. As for the RTX 5080, it is priced at 1,169 euros in May, a decrease of 90 euros from its February peak.
Even the RTX 5090 has seen a price drop of 40 euros in May, though it remains 51% more expensive than its September 2025 price. The Radeon RX 9060 XT 8GB has decreased by 10 euros since last month and is 7% more expensive than in September. The 16GB version of the RX 9060 XT, however, reflects the continued high cost of memory, maintaining its price. For the RX 9070 and RX 9070 XT, there’s good news as both have seen price reductions, now costing the same as or less than they did in September of last year. On average, prices in May 2026 are 12% higher than in September 2025, representing a 2% decrease from April, a 4% decrease from March, and an 8% decrease from February.
