Computex is, to a degree, always about excess. It’s a tech show, after all. All the big names are fighting for coverage of their latest products, and as a result, we always see outrageous graphics cards covered in exotic materials, some eye-wateringly expensive gaming rigs, and enough RGB lighting to sink a battleship. I know that doesn’t quite work as a metaphor, but you know what I mean.
This year has been no exception. But as I’ve sat here updating our Computex 2026 liveblog with all the latest goodies, it’s been difficult to square all the uber-shiny new releases with the state of the tech industry right now. Price rises are wracking the gaming hardware market as we speak, and revelling in ultra-exotic materials and sheer excess feels… slightly wrong? Tone deaf? A little out of touch with the gamer on the street?
That’s not to say we shouldn’t be interested, of course. We all like a slice of excess in theory, and there’s an argument to be made that PC gaming, for many years now, has been something of a luxury pursuit. But 24K gold-plated gaming mice? Crystals on GPU coolers? $3,000+ motherboards with “rocket thruster-grade thermal materials“?
Somehow, this year, it all feels a little… gauche?
Now, I don’t want to be a party pooper. Many of the exotic products we’ve covered have been part of various company’s anniversary celebrations, like this undeniably impressive Asus ROG Astral GeForce RTX 5090 Edition 20. And I’m not gonna lie, I’ve been drooling over it.
I love an overbuilt GPU, and I can even get on board with the fact it’s got a curved AMOLED screen for seemingly very little reason. Staring through the shop window at the sweeties I can’t afford has been a lifelong habit of mine, and I’m sure I’m far from alone. This is a hell of a display piece—and I’m breathing so heavily, I’ve fogged up the glass.
(Image credit: Future)
But it all comes crashing back down to earth when I see what a regular RTX 5090 costs at this point. My colleague Nick Evanson updates our GPU price guide every week, and he’s just finished searching. The cheapest RTX 5090 we can find right now from a retailer we trust is… $4,300. As for the special edition Astral? I genuinely dread to think.
And of course, we’ve written many, many times about the reasons behind the current prices. The RAMpocalypse being the biggest, but we’ve also covered the supply chain problems, the war in Iran, and the gradual frog-in-boiling-water effect that has all contributed to making our hobby more expensive than it used to be. Along with many other reasons, naturally.
As a result, it feels a bit bleak out here in the world of PC gaming hardware right now. I hate to be a downer, but when you search for good prices every week like we do, and spot that decent deals are becoming much harder to find, it’s difficult not to feel a touch bitter looking at all the shiny stuff I’m never, ever going to be able to reasonably afford.
(Image credit: Future)
Still, that’s not to say there’ve been no well-priced products on display. In our quest to show you the most interesting releases from this year’s event, we’ve been sprinkling in some of the less flashy, yet much more obtainable products that most PC gamers might be able to buy without taking out a loan.
Like this Arctic air cooler, for example. It starts at $50, it’s got a twin fan/tower design, and it’s rather handsome in a utilitarian, rugged sort of way. Sure, you probably missed it in among all the exotic gaming hardware, but it’s a very reasonably priced thing.
Or this microATX case with a ferrofluid display for $199. Okay, so it’s not cheap as far as regular cases go, but it’s got a standout feature that looks more visually impressive than a lot of the mega-priced options splashed all over our feeds right now. I was expecting a much higher price tag based on the gimmick value alone, but hey, I’m happy to be surprised.
And then there’s Corsair’s new “accessibly priced” TC80 gaming chair, which seems to have struck a chord with many of you. We don’t have an exact MSRP just yet, but if it’s as well-priced as some of Corsair’s other budget offerings, it could be your next affordable gaming throne.
(Image credit: Corsair)
And that’s just a small selection. So yes, while we’re duty-bound to point at a 256 GB RAM kit for $2,500+ and drop our jaws alongside the rest of you, it’s perhaps worth remembering that there are still affordable PC gaming products on the market, depending on what you’re searching for.
They don’t make the headlines quite as easily, but they’re there if you look hard enough.
As for the industry as a whole, though? Well, the consumer tech market has been hit pretty hard, there’s no denying it. And while I like to ogle at a bit of gold-plating as much as the next pleb, this year it’s all felt a bit much. Here’s hoping for… well, here’s hoping things are a little better by the time Computex 2027 rolls around. I’m an optimist at heart, dont’cha know.
