Impact of The Corona Virus on Computer Parts

cnut on 20/02/2020 - 10:03
Last edited 20/02/2020 - 10:04

I was hunting down some PC parts and noticed a shortage of some. After talking to a few stores, they all indicated that stock wasn’t coming out of China due to the virus.

Not only will there be a shortage, but it also means prices will inevitably go up, won’t they?

Anyone else noticed the impact the virus has had, and any thoughts on how it will continue to hamper our ability to get bargains?

On top of our declining currency, the next year doesn’t seem too great when it comes to bargain hunting.

Computing COVID-19

Comments

  • Bid Sniper on 20/02/2020 - 10:15
    +30

    Yeah I wouldn't trust Norton Antivirus

    • HighAndDry on 20/02/2020 - 17:47
      +1

      Yeah, personally I roll with McAfee. Has worked brilliantly so far, not a single sign of coronavirus.

  • Clear on 20/02/2020 - 10:40
    +1

    I'm having a lot of trouble sourcing prebuilt from the big brands and their distributors. Prices have already gone up too.

    A lot of Chinese companies still don't have all their staff back anyway. Those from certain provinces can't return, while everyone else in the Shenzhen housing blocks must have a permit to return to work. They also have to log everywhere they go in an app and if they're exposed to someone who tests positive… yeah they're not returning anytime soon.

  • netjock on 20/02/2020 - 10:49
    +1

    Don't forget Chinese New Year was a total shut down. With slow mobilisation we're probably seeing only a trickle of stuff being shipped. Bad time to buy anything. Hold off if you can.

    • cnut on 20/02/2020 - 11:11

      Or buy now before prices are jacked more and there’s even less stock. For instance the Ryzen 3600s are a good price. Likely to go up in a few months once local stock dwindles.

      • netjock on 20/02/2020 - 11:18
        +1

        Actually TSMC which is based in Taiwan makes AMD chips. They can still get stuff out. Companies such as Foxcon and otherwise with Chinese factories will be in short supply and costs go up. I don't think CPUs will be going up.

        I think it is ram / motherboards that are made in China which will go up.

        • cnut on 20/02/2020 - 11:23

          Ah ok. I did not know.

        • ethan961 on 20/02/2020 - 11:48

          TSMC doesn't finish the chips though, a good deal are assembled in Suzhou. They do also assemble in Malaysia.

        • dcep on 20/02/2020 - 12:31

          who's gonna assemble the bare silicon

          answer = China & Malaysia

          • netjock on 20/02/2020 - 13:11

            @dcep: Didn't realise Malaysia is in lock down.

        • HighAndDry on 20/02/2020 - 17:48

          A lot of RAM comes out of S. Korea too which I don't think has been affected either.

  • Blue Suby on 20/02/2020 - 10:59
    +1

    I have an email from supplier saying that due to Corona virus unable to ship my med ID bracelets-bit ironic!

  • Ocker on 20/02/2020 - 11:49
    -3

    "Impact of The Corona Virus on Computer Parts"

    I didn't realise computer parts could catch the Corona Virus?

    • Porker on 20/02/2020 - 12:01

      As a child of the 80s, I was always weirded out about how many of the floppy disk games had the 'marijuana' virus. Back then I pronounced it 'Mara-Ju-waa-na'…

      • Diji1 on 21/02/2020 - 20:58

        Stop giving drugs to disks.

  • wheretobuychocettes on 20/02/2020 - 12:14

    Suppliers have been telling us to "buy ____, everyone is worried about shortages during the virus issue as shipments get delayed and pricing will go up", but so far we haven't really seen too uncommon of a shortage on the odd SKU, and in general we're at a point in every product life cycle where prices are expected to, and are, going down in anticipation of the next generations to replace them in the coming months.
    ____ being RAM, cases, GPUs, etc.

    This could all turn around and become horrible in the next 2 weeks of course, but right now there's been a bit of hysteria for seemingly no reason (with regards to component shortages).

    We've taken some precautions to try best to ride out a potential storm, but also not gone too crazy in case it's all for nothing. Businesses will have it rough if it does turn bad, but I don't think consumers will have much to cry about apart for perhaps some temporarily inflated prices - if it even gets to that.

    Will be interesting to see how it ends up panning out.

    • netjock on 20/02/2020 - 13:13

      There will be a rush on McMansions soon.

      Coronavirus may kill you but not having a new PC isn't. People are doing some seriously irrational things.

      Might be a run on clean air soon. I might have to breath harder and faster in case it runs out. Oh bugger… hyperventilating…

      • cnut on 20/02/2020 - 13:22
        +1

        There are companies that have already had to send people home on leave due to a lack of business, such as in the freight industry.

        So this does directly impact people’s lives, not just end of the chain consumers.

        • netjock on 20/02/2020 - 14:47

          You mean similar to when infrastructure gets knocked out as a result of cyclones? What about price of bananas when the cyclone destroy the harvest about half a decade ago.

          Another apocalyptic apologist.

          • cnut on 20/02/2020 - 16:39
            +1

            @netjock:

            Another apocalyptic apologist.

            Eh?

            • netjock on 20/02/2020 - 16:59

              @cnut: I'm not going to explain it because it might look like I am trying to be intellectual.

              • cnut on 20/02/2020 - 19:51

                @netjock: I totally get where you’re coming from though. There are certainly way bigger things to worry about than the prices of random shit we don’t even need.

    • cnut on 20/02/2020 - 13:17

      I never said I was worried. Just discussing the implications.

        • wheretobuychocettes on 20/02/2020 - 15:10
          +5

          Just wondering… How is discussing the situation put forward by the OP a bad thing?

          • netjock on 20/02/2020 - 15:19
            -6

            @wheretobuychocettes: Creation of panic and mass hysteria. You just wait until you have the bum runs and you need toilet paper to find out someone has bought it all because there is a rumour production is stopping.

            • wheretobuychocettes on 20/02/2020 - 15:30
              +3

              @netjock: Well, one of the benefits of talking about these things is to gather information from others on things you may not have all the knowledge of.
              If you read my comment about suppliers, for example, you'll see that I do in fact say there doesn't seem to be much cause for concern (on computer products) at the moment.

              If someone hears the sky is falling and decides to buy all the cans of baked beans, that's entirely on them. Let go of things you cannot control, my friend. And since we're not intending to cause misinformation or spread false rumours, let us discuss in peace sans your negative nancy attitude.

              As someone who works in the IT industry, any potential shortages are very much important to me and my livelihood, and all the other employees here. As OP has mentioned too, this spreads to impacting freight workers, etc.

              Information is king. Stop trying to shut it down.

              • netjock on 20/02/2020 - 15:36
                -8

                @wheretobuychocettes: Information is king, stop trying to shut it down… didn't realise you're an impartial news outlet unlike CNN, Reuters etc.

                Talking won't solve anything. Why don't you volunteers on Chinese wharfs to get the containers moving? It is Tony Abbott here… climate change is fake and coronavirus is a hoax so get on a boat and out there… nothing to fear. We can be any expert we want on the internet long as I say I work in the industry.

                I work in IT too you don't see me posting topics on whether I should panic buying ram.

                • wheretobuychocettes on 20/02/2020 - 15:56
                  +4

                  @netjock: Didn't say I was an expert, just I work in the PC retail sales industry so shared my knowledge. I've also stated the things I've experienced, didn't say I am the facts, the law, etc.
                  I don't know the specific reasons shipments aren't moving (if they aren't even?), some say it's because the factories themselves weren't allowed to run for a period, others say it's quarantine issues, I don't know. I don't think me volunteering my time in another country (where I don't speak the language) is the solution. Again, I don't even know that things aren't moving to begin with.

                  You seem personally offended by this whole topic and what I'm saying for whatever reasons. I'm going to give myself a time out on communicating with you further in this thread.
                  Have a good day.

  • WreckTangle on 20/02/2020 - 15:01
    -3

    “Impact of The Corona Virus on Computer Parts”

    I didn’t even know computers could catch coronavirus

    • netjock on 20/02/2020 - 17:01

      Don't worry the surgical mask wearing crowd is out in force today.

      Absolutely nuts people are panic buying all kinds of items especially hygiene products when there hasn't even been one person to person transmission.

      • HighAndDry on 20/02/2020 - 18:13

        when there hasn't even been one person to person transmission.

        Wait wait wait. I was with you on the "no need to panic" line until this, and so I looked it up and… you're right. There's been zero cases of person to person transmission in the community in Australia at all.

        Perks of being a remote island penal colony I guess.

        • figjamone on 21/02/2020 - 09:06

          Wait what about the boat where one person joined the boat in Singapore sailed to japan where more than one person left and put in hospital now.now how many have been put in hospital. How can you say no person to person BS are you insane. I don’t trust anyone or anything that has to do with this virus. This is what will happen when you remove all manufacturing in Australia, because everyone has to go to university, then the field they are trained in can’t get a job in that field and are now doing jobs that they could have taken if they left school in year 10. That is another story.

  • backpaqer on 21/02/2020 - 07:56
    +1

    Yeah, I noticed that if I order anything from China it has an expected delivery date in July

  • figjamone on 21/02/2020 - 08:49

    Go to eBay everything from China has about 2 months before your item will be sent including face masks. Now they don’t know how the virus is passed on so when the Chinese return to work then the back order’s will start to flue into our country again so can’t wait

  • OzHunterNSW on 21/02/2020 - 10:06
    -1

    Suck it up… what do you expect. The virus has impacted many sectors, and individuals.
    Suck it up!

  • sabracad on 21/02/2020 - 20:56

    It may depend on shipping volumes, port of departure or a myriad of variables - either that or they're just after an excuse to increase prices. I ordered some sunglasses from Sunglass Hut last Friday. Arrived on Wednesday from their China warehouse (in Dongguan) despite them arranging an address change at my request.

  • Diji1 on 21/02/2020 - 21:06

    Analyst says semi-conductor products are going to be fine but devices won't be.

    A report from analyst firm Omdia estimated factories in the Middle Kingdom, even in the bio-nasty's epicenter Wuhan, have been able to maintain normal manufacturing levels. In fact, Omdia said, fabs are relatively safe thanks to their tight environmental controls.

    "Semiconductor fabs are inherently clean and highly automated, yielding an environment that’s not conducive to the spread of disease. As a result, foundries operating in the country—including SMIC, TSMC and UMC—have been able to maintain normal production conditions without any changes," Omdia noted.

    "In Wuhan itself, semiconductor supplier YMTC has kept its production line running at normal levels. The XMC fab in the Wuhan area is running smoothly as well."

    Rather, the analyst house reckoned, where the market is likely to see an impact is further down the chain, as device manufacturers see their own plants affected and have to cut their orders.

    https://www.theregister.co.uk/2020/02/18/google_cloud_new_ep…

    Wonder if motherboards will be effected?

  • Brendoo on 22/02/2020 - 14:19

    Yep, at our work we cannot get iPhone 8's from suppliers due to Coronavirus as shipments are no longer coming out of China for Apple devices.

    We are forced into giving staff iPhone XR's instead, still in stock at our supplier, as the cheapest model. ~$300 extra per phone! Not that the staff are complaining!

  • Diji1 on 04/03/2020 - 18:23

    Computer Jesus Steve says don't panic buy:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kuAwBC4H_s0

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