2025 still has four months left, but we don't have any more hardware launches scheduled for this year. So, I believe it's time to take out my notes and present my 2026 wishlist for the PC hardware industry. We got new GPUs from Nvidia and AMD this year, some more X3D CPUs from AMD, and some rumors of RTX 50 Super refresh coming later this year.

Overall, this generation has been a mixed bag. While AMD's RX 9000 GPUs impressed many gamers, Nvidia's RTX 50 series was disappointing. Intel's Arrow Lake was a step backwards, and AMD's Zen 5 CPUs failed to justify upgrading from Zen 4. And for most of the year, it was downright impossible to buy anything at MSRP. What do I want from 2026? Compelling generational gains, more VRAM becoming the norm, more competition in the high-end GPU segment, and fewer paper launches, for starters.

6 Affordable OLED monitors

I'm finally hopeful

For the longest time, OLED monitors have remained elusive for the majority of gamers — spending over $900 on a display is just too much for most people. In early 2025, we finally saw numerous 1440p high-refresh OLED monitors descend into the sub-$700 range. This isn't cheap, but a downward trend hints at a more affordable future for top-tier gaming displays. And with the recent launch of some tandem OLED monitors under $700, prices are sure to drop further next year.

Once OLED monitors are easily available for under $500, we'll see a rapid spurt in adoption, especially since new technologies like tandem OLED are already improving brightness and lifespan. I waited a long time before spending around $600 on the Alienware AW3423DWF a few weeks ago, but if 2026 brings much-improved OLED displays in the $500 range, I'd happily consider selling my new OLED display and getting a more advanced model instead.

5 AMD back in the high-end GPU race

RDNA 4 laid a strong foundation

AMD backed out of the high-end GPU segment long before announcing its RX 90 series GPUs. What we got, however, was better than anyone expected. The RX 9070 XT and RX 9070 received rave reviews, thanks to the much-improved ray tracing and upscaling performance, and lower prices than the competition. What this new generation didn't do was move AMD's measly 8% market share. In fact, the Steam Hardware Survey for August has no mention of the new RX 90 series GPUs.

Nvidia continues to dominate the GPU market, and I feel now that AMD has proved that RDNA 4 can go toe-to-toe with Nvidia, the company should focus on re-entering the high-end segment. If AMD manages to deliver a compelling high-end GPU in 2026, while undercutting Nvidia and providing better value for money, I think we'll finally see the market share start to shift towards Team Red. We have the foundation in place with RDNA 4 and FSR 4; what we need is a strong follow-up to this generation that can revitalize the stagnant GPU war.

4 12GB VRAM becoming the bare minimum

It should have happened in 2022

Talking about new GPUs, it's fair to say most of the community hasn't been happy with how much VRAM modern GPUs are getting. And it's not just Nvidia that didn't get the memo; even AMD's RX 9060 XT has an 8GB VRAM variant. At least Intel isn't doing the same thing with its Battlemage GPUs. Insufficient VRAM has made many new graphics cards like the RTX 5060 Ti 8GB become instantly obsolete, since multiple titles now easily demand more than 8GB of VRAM.

12GB of VRAM should have already become the minimum during the RTX 40 series launch, but manufacturers failed to respond. In late 2026, when Nvidia and AMD might launch their next-gen GPUs, we shouldn't see a single graphics card launch with 8GB VRAM (or lower). For gamers with older hardware still running on PCIe 3.0, 8GB VRAM GPUs can severely tank performance, nullifying their supposed affordability. 16GB of VRAM is ideal in 2025, but let's start with making 12GB the norm.

3 Intel back to form with Nova Lake

It's about time

Intel is in dire straits right now, as evidenced by the corporate upheaval, terrible stock price, and unstable products. After the instability scandal of its 13th and 14th Gen CPUs, the Arrow Lake CPUs also failed to impress anyone. The Core Ultra CPUs were actually slower than the 14th Gen Core CPUs in gaming, and power efficiency, although improved, wasn't where it needed to be.

No one benefits from less competition, and that's why Intel needs to make a big comeback with Nova Lake in late 2026. Expected to use a mix of TSMC's N2 (2nm) and Intel's own 18A (1.8nm) process nodes, the Nova Lake CPUs are rumored to launch with some massive upgrades over Arrow Lake. Some reports suggest the Nova Lake CPUs could feature a maximum of 52 cores, thanks to a combination of 16 P-cores, 32 E-cores, and 4 low-power E-cores. Whatever Intel cooks up with Nova Lake, it better be competitive with AMD's Zen 6 series; otherwise, it's going to be all Team Red for 2027.

2 AMD correcting Zen 5 mistakes with Zen 6

We have a bit of a Ryzen backlog

Intel might have fumbled the Arrow Lake launch, but AMD's Zen 5 series didn't exactly break records either. The Ryzen 9000 CPUs were, more or less, a minor refresh of the Ryzen 7000 chips (excluding the X3D variants), which was clear when you compared them in terms of gaming performance (remember Zen 5%). Power efficiency might have improved over Zen 4, but that was never a problem with the Ryzen 7000 CPUs.

With Zen 5 just feeling like repackaged Zen 4, I want the next-gen Zen 6 chips to deliver some strong gains in late 2026. Reports suggest that these chips will rely on TSMC's N2P (2nm) process node, competing directly with Intel's Nova Lake in terms of lithography. Upgrading from a Ryzen 7000 CPU to a Ryzen 9000 one made little sense, but if Ryzen 10000 (or whatever AMD ends up calling it) gives us promising gains, many gamers will readily switch from their Zen 4 CPUs on their existing AM5 motherboards.

1 Realistic MSRPs and stuff we can actually buy

Is that too much to hope for?

The dark cloud of paper launches and imaginary prices loomed large over every hardware launch of 2025. For weeks and even months at a stretch, consumers were unable to buy GPUs and CPUs at prices close to MSRP. Stocks were agonizingly low, retailers were forced to raise prices over MSRP, and just being able to buy hardware felt like a luxury. By the time 2026 rolls in, I hope the worst of it is behind us.

Many of us believe that buying GPUs at MSRP might never be a thing again, but the sentiment is born from the terrible market conditions we witnessed this year. Prices have started to normalize now, but we don't know what new GPU launches will have in store for us. Even the Ryzen 7 9800X3D was out of stock for weeks after launch, so it's not just a GPU problem. Lower yields, supply shortages, and trade wars threaten to destabilize PC component prices again, but I'm still hoping things get better next year.

This year wasn't the best, but I have hopes for 2026

Whether it's about new graphics cards, CPUs, or OLED monitors, I still dare to believe that 2026 will bring better times for gaming PCs. The prices of OLED displays have been steadily dropping, and new models are launching in the sub-$700 range instead of exclusively in the $1000+ range. After a disappointing showing from Intel and AMD in the CPU department, I hope the only way is up for Nova Lake and Zen 6. And as far as GPUs are concerned, if we get a healthy VRAM bump, similar prices, and a decent gen-on-gen boost, I'll be satisfied.