The latest add-in-board (AIB) GPU market share report for Q4 2025 paints a clear picture of where the desktop graphics card market is heading: NVIDIA is firmly in control, even as the entire segment struggles under worsening pricing pressure.
According to new figures from Jon Peddie Research (JPR), overall AIB shipments fell 4.4% in Q4 2025, landing at about 11.5 million units. Longer term, the outlook remains challenging as well, with JPR projecting a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of -5.9% from 2024 to 2028. Even so, the installed base for AIB graphics cards is still expected to reach 172 million units, and the number of desktop PCs running an AIB is projected to more than double over time.
The report also highlights softer engagement on the desktop side. The AIB attach rate for the quarter dropped to 55%, down 12.3% compared to the previous quarter. Meanwhile, the desktop PC CPU market slipped 0.7% year over year but rose 9.0% quarter over quarter, suggesting overall system demand is still there—yet the parts needed to complete builds are becoming increasingly difficult to buy at reasonable prices.
When it comes to the three major GPU vendors, NVIDIA extended its lead again. In Q4 2025, NVIDIA gained 1.6 percentage points of AIB market share, Intel remained essentially flat, and AMD dropped by 1.6 points. The year-over-year view is even more dramatic: NVIDIA reached 94% total AIB GPU market share, which represents a 10-point increase versus the previous year. AMD fell to 5%, a 10-point decline, while Intel held steady at 1%.
Shipments in Q4 2025 totaled about 11.48 million units. While shipments were reportedly up 36% in another comparison noted in the report, the larger story is that the market is being squeezed hard by rising costs—particularly memory pricing—along with tariffs adding extra pressure. The biggest issue heading into 2026, however, isn’t tariffs. It’s the combination of higher prices, weak availability, and scalping behavior driven by ongoing DRAM shortages. And with those shortages not expected to ease anytime soon, the outlook for affordable graphics cards remains grim.
That worsening supply-and-price environment is why many observers are increasingly concerned about the future of mainstream PC gaming. If this trajectory continues, the sub-$500 “sweet spot” for gaming PCs could become far less viable, pushing more buyers out of the market or forcing painful compromises in performance.
JPR’s Q4 2025 coverage also touches on the CPU side of the PC hardware business. CPU unit shipments climbed to 21 million units, pointing to a relatively healthy processor market. But even if CPU availability looks stable, new PC buyers and system builders may still struggle to complete builds if memory and graphics card pricing continues to surge.
Taken together, Q4 2025 shows a GPU market being reshaped by shortages and rising costs, with NVIDIA expanding its already massive lead—while many everyday PC gamers are left dealing with fewer choices and higher prices.
