Business research firm Gartner claims that PC hardware prices are going to increase this year, and that there are already signs of certain hardware becoming more expensive.

Apparently DDR3 RAM prices have increased by 23 percent over the last month. LCD panels are expected to jump by as much has 20 percent and harddrive and DVD drive prices are also on the rise.

According to Gartener we have the recession to blame for the higher prices. The downward spiral which the economy faced last year led manufacturers to make humble projections and therefore decrease their productivity. This has lead to a shortage of key parts and therefore prices increasing.

We would expect that with the economy showing positive signs manufacturers will become more optimistic, leading to prices coming down again in the not too distant future.

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