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PC Costs Are Going Up – Here’s How to Keep Them in Check
After several years of declining spend and prolonged refresh cycles, the enterprise PC market is showing signs of life again. But for IT sourcing leaders, the rebound comes with a catch: higher PC costs, increased complexity, and a pricing landscape that demands far more scrutiny than in years past.
NPI’s latest SmartSpend™ Bulletin explores what’s really happening in the PC sourcing market right now—and how enterprise buyers can protect their budgets.
The Recovery Is Real. So Is the Cost Creep.
PC vendors are finally benefiting from a modest recovery in demand. But our analysis shows that they’re not just riding the wave, they’re pushing it. Hard.
From component upgrades to AI-capable devices and bundled services, vendors are inflating prices in ways that are often difficult to detect until it’s too late. We’re seeing 30 to 50% price uplifts in some transactions, driven not by raw cost increases, but by opportunistic pricing strategies designed to capitalize on today’s market conditions.
What’s Driving the New PC Cost Pressures?
Here are key trends every enterprise IT buyer should be watching:
- Component Upgrade Inflation: CPUs, SSDs, memory, and GPUs are being marked up well beyond reasonable thresholds. Especially when tied to “next-gen” or AI-ready configurations.
- Software-Driven Hardware Bundling: Microsoft Copilot+ and other AI tools are being packaged in ways that force buyers to upgrade hardware, whether they need to or not.
- Touch Display Overvaluation: As touch-enabled devices become more common, vendors are still charging a premium – one that isn’t always justified.
- Service Cost Inflation: Fees for things like imaging, asset tagging, and BIOS configuration have increased sharply. Many enterprises don’t have visibility into these costs until after the deal is done.
- Accessory Bundling and Lack of Transparency: Docking stations, monitors, peripherals...many are bundled without pricing clarity, introducing avoidable markup.
Strategic Sourcing Is No Longer Optional
Fortunately, there is recourse. Strategic IT buyers can push back if they’re equipped with the right intel and approach. In the bulletin, we share several sourcing strategies that are delivering results for large enterprises. These include:
- Leverage Bulk Purchase Timing: Vendors are far more motivated by consolidated deals than scattered ones. This can be used to your advantage if positioned correctly.
- Revisit N-1/N-2 Models: Older-generation hardware often meets performance needs at a fraction of the cost. Vendors have excess inventory and are willing to discount if you ask.
- Extend Lifecycles Where Possible: With better hardware longevity, many companies are stretching refresh cycles from three to five years. This frees up budget for more strategic IT investments.
- Benchmark Everything: From accessories to services to “AI premiums,” buyers must benchmark against market pricing to avoid hidden overspending.
Don’t Wait Until Your Next PC Refresh Cycle
If you’re managing PC hardware spend, this isn’t business as usual. It’s a shifting landscape that requires a willingness to challenge the status quo. Our bulletin on
Enterprise PC Hardware Sourcing: Key Trends & Strategic Considerations shares more detail on key sourcing levers IT buyers can use to control costs and improve outcomes.
