NVIDIA Remains Unbeatable: 9 Out of 10 Graphics Cards Sold Carry Its Brand

The desktop graphics card market started 2026 with a contained contraction, showing greater resilience compared to the observed performance in the desktop PC segment. This is highlighted in the latest quarterly report published by Jon Peddie Research (JPR), which analyzes the performance of dedicated GPUs distributed through NVIDIA, AMD, and Intel’s AIB (Add-In Board) partners.

During the first quarter of the year, approximately 11.8 million desktop graphics cards were shipped, a decrease of 0.6% compared to the previous quarter. This is a marginal decline when compared to the historical average over the last ten years, which typically shows a contraction of over 12% for the first quarter. Year-on-year, however, shipments increased by over 8%. This data is particularly noteworthy considering the overall performance of the desktop market. According to JPR, CPU shipments for desktop PCs fell to 15.7 million units, a reduction of 24% from the previous quarter and 25% compared to the same period in 2025. Despite the slowdown in the complete systems market, the demand for dedicated GPUs has shown significant resilience.

Confirming this trend, the so-called attach rate of dedicated graphics cards – that is, the ratio of discrete GPUs to sold desktop PCs – has risen to 76%, marking an increase of 33.2% from the previous quarter. In other words, an increasing share of marketed desktop systems continues to integrate a dedicated graphics card.

On the market share front, NVIDIA maintains a dominant position with about 90% of global shipments. Although it recorded a slight contraction compared to the previous quarter, the manufacturer continues to almost entirely control the segment of discrete desktop GPUs. AMD, on the other hand, showed a very slight decline in its market share, approximately 0.04 percentage points. Conversely, Intel managed to gain about 0.4 percentage points. Relating this growth to the overall volumes of the quarter, the increase corresponds to several hundred thousand additional units.

Although the report does not detail the reasons behind Intel's growth, part of the success may be linked to the spread of Arc Pro family solutions in professional contexts and AI applications, a segment that continues to show sustained demand levels even during a consumer market slowdown.

According to Jon Peddie, the slight contraction observed in the quarter can be attributed to a combination of factors, including still high prices, limited memory availability, and ongoing issues in supply chains. Nevertheless, the dedicated GPU market has shown a capacity to hold up better than expected.

However, long-term prospects remain cautious. JPR predicts a compounded annual growth rate of -3.3% for the add-in board market from 2024 to 2029. By the end of the forecast horizon, the global installed base is expected to settle around 183 million units.