Nvidia dominates desktop GPU market with 90% share in Q1 2026

Jon Peddie Research reports that Nvidia supplied roughly 90% of the 11.8 million desktop graphics cards shipped in the first quarter of 2026, with AMD covering about 8% and Intel just 1%. The overall market fell only 0.6% year‑on‑year, a modest decline for the traditionally slow quarter, while 76% of desktop PCs now ship with a dedicated GPU.

The dominance is reflected in high‑end pricing: Nvidia’s new RTX 5090, equipped with 32 GB of GDDR7 memory, retails for €3 679 and targets 4K ultra‑high‑frame‑rate gaming. A lower‑cost RTX 5080 offers roughly half the price with 70‑80% of the performance. Meanwhile, a global shortage of DDR5 memory has sparked a resurgence of DDR4 modules and older‑generation CPUs, as manufacturers seek cheaper alternatives.

Anticipation for the upcoming release of Grand Theft Auto 6 is further driving demand for powerful GPUs and large memory capacities, with recommended specs calling for 16 GB of VRAM. These trends underscore Nvidia’s pricing power and the limited competition in the desktop GPU segment.