Jon Peddie Research reported that 11.6 million graphics cards shipped, alongside 21.7 million desktop CPUs, a 21.6 per cent rise from the previous quarter. “AIB prices dropped for midrange and entry-level, while high-end AIB prices increased, and most retail suppliers ran out of stock.

Jon Peddie Research president Dr Jon Peddie said: “This is very unusual for the second quarter. We think it is a continuation of higher prices expected due to the tariffs and buyers trying to get ahead of that.”

The real winner of the buying frenzy is Nvidia, which padded its lead by another 2.1 per cent. AMD limped in with just six per cent, while Troubled Chipzilla’s share was so low it did not even make the chart. Not exactly confidence-inspiring given Intel’s much-trumpeted GPU launch in December 2024.

Nvidia and AMD pushed out their latest graphics cards early in the year, with Nvidia dribbling cheaper models into the second and third quarters. Shoppers still struggled to find cards at anything close to suggested prices, with shortages persisting until last month. Despite that, gamers splashed out. The attach rate for desktop PCs hit 154 per cent, meaning buyers were picking up more than one graphics card per processor.

For now, Nvidia can bask in its dominance, but Jon Peddie Research reckons this surge is only a blip. The firm predicts the GPU market will shrink 5.4 per cent between 2024 and 2028. That slide could come from gamers giving up on PC builds altogether or from chips like AMD’s Strix Halo that pack beefy integrated graphics.