IDC Korea forecasts domestic PC shipments in the second quarter of 2016 to remain at the same level as the previous year, reaching 1 million units.
Demand for affordable gaming PCs is expected to increase with the release of games that support multi-core and parallel computing.

According to a recent analysis of the domestic PC market by IDC Korea (CEO Hong Yoo-sook), domestic PC shipments in the second quarter of 2016 remained flat year-on-year at 1 million units. While desktop shipments declined 7.2% year-on-year to 490,000 units, laptop shipments increased 6.4% to 510,000 units, marking the second consecutive quarter where laptop demand has outpaced desktop shipments.

Desktops showed double-digit year-over-year declines in the home, public, and small and medium-sized enterprise sectors, while all-in-one desktops saw their growth momentum weaken, falling by 20,000 units year-over-year to 42,000 units. However, the education sector recorded 58,000 units, an increase of more than 80% year-on-year, due to a large-scale replacement of aging desktops in on-campus labs and other locations, and desktop replacement is expected to continue in the third quarter.

<Visitors examine laptops on display in the exhibition hall>

Notebooks grew in all markets except the public sector, with shipments of ultra-slim notebooks measuring 21mm or less in thickness driving demand, reaching 310,000 units, up more than 40% year-over-year.
In 2015, gaming PC shipments in the consumer market excluding PC rooms were tallied at 130,000 units, and interest in gaming PCs is increasing as the number of users enjoying games with improved graphics, such as Overwatch, increases.

Massive desktop replacements in the education sector are expected to continue in the third quarter.

Unlike in the past, recent games support multicore processors and fully utilize the parallel processing capabilities of graphics cards, leading to a surge in popularity for budget-friendly gaming laptops priced between 800,000 and 1 million won. Desktops are also expanding consumer choice with the introduction of NVIDIA's premium GTX 1080 and AMD's cost-effective RX480.


Therefore, the demand for gaming PCs in the consumer sector in 2016 is expected to grow significantly compared to the previous year, which is expected to substantially help improve the profitability of related companies. PC rooms are increasingly adopting a no-hard system managed by a central server without a hard disk, which reduces operating costs and provides convenience in maintenance.

Kwon Sang-jun, a senior researcher at IDC Korea, said, "2016 will be remembered as a year in which gaming PCs take another leap forward," and predicted, "Practical gaming PCs that meet user needs in terms of price and performance will become popular."