Written By

Jon Peddie & Robert Dow

As part of its ongoing research on the PC graphics market, Jon Peddie Research (JPR) has released its Market Watch report for the second quarter of 2020. Before 2020, the PC market was showing signs of improvement and settling into a new normal. JPR’s Market Watch report confirms that trend for the second quarter of 2020, but with some surprises results for this very unusual year.

Quarterly shipments and market share and year-to-year results

Overall GPU shipments increased 2.5% from last quarter, AMD shipments increased 8.4%, Intel's shipments, decreased -2.7%, and Nvidia’s shipments increased 17.8%.

Quick highlights

AMD’s overall unit shipments increased by 8.4% quarter-to-quarter, Intel’s total shipments decreased by -2.7% from last quarter, and Nvidia’s increased 17.8%.

The overall attach rate of GPUs (includes integrated and discrete GPUs, desktop, notebook, and workstations) to PCs for the quarter was 126% which was up 2.3% from last quarter.

The overall PC market increased by 0.68% quarter-to-quarter and increased by 12.54% year-to-year.

Desktop graphics add-in boards (AIBs that use discrete GPUs) increased 6.55% from last quarter.

Q2'20 saw no change in tablet shipments from last quarter.

Discrete GPU market share

Typically, the second quarter is down compared to the previous quarter. This quarter was up as the influence of the pandemic has had unpredictable market effects.

The above charts express the supplier’s market share, in the current quarter, as well as quarter-to-quarter results, and year-to-year quarter results.

Jon Peddie, President of JPR, notes “the pandemic has been disruptive and had varying effects on the market. Some sales that might have occurred in Q3 (such as notebooks for the back-to-school season) have been pulled in to Q2 while desktop sales declined. Intel’s manufacturing challenges have also negatively affected desktop sales.

“We believe the stay at home orders have continued to increase demand in spite of the record-setting unemployment levels. As economies open up, consumer confidence will be an important metric to watch.”

GPUs are traditionally a leading indicator of the market since a GPU goes into every system before suppliers' ships the PC, most of the semiconductor vendors are guiding up for next quarter, by an average of 12%. Some of that guidance is based on normal seasonality, but there is also a factor for the Coronavirus impact.

JPR also publishes a series of reports on the graphics Add-in-Board Market and PC Gaming Hardware Market, which covers the total market including system and accessories, and looks at 31 countries.