The growth drivers were the graphics cards suitable for gaming, the local representatives of US-held Nvidia, one of the largest makers of graphic processing units in the world, said.
“Sales stood at about 50,000 graphics cards in Romania in the first half, almost half of which gaming models. The gaming segment is on the rise, with more than 70% of the desktop PCs now used for games,” Cristi Stroe, consumer sales manager South Eastern Europe with Nvidia, told ZF.
The gaming segment is driving the desktop and PC component market at the moment, because of the high requirements of the new video games, especially those using the virtual reality technology. The PC, and especially the desktop and component market, has been dwindling in the last few years, with user interest and budget shifting towards mobile devices like smartphones and tablets.
“Gaming graphics cards’ market share is on the rise. The gaming segment accounted for 40% (of the total sales of graphics cards i.e.) last year and now stands at 50%. I expect it to reach almost 60% by yearend,” the Nvidia official said.
The company is the local market leader, accounting for 70% of the gaming segment and more than 60% of the overall market.
“Out of the 50,000 graphics cards sold in the first half, 32,000 were Nvidia powered.”
The entire graphics cards market will increase by about 14% to some 120,000 units in 2016, as the second half is better for sales of electronics and computer products.
“We will definitely see an increase in the local graphics cards market this year, because sales were already up 20% in the first half. We expect the market to reach 120,000 units, but that depends on how the third and fourth quarter events – the ‘back to school’, Black Friday, and winter holiday campaigns go.”
Sales of graphics cards stood at 105,000 units in 2015, down more than 8% on the previous year.
(English version by Loredana Fratila-Cristescu)