Memory price surge will hit PCs and laptops: Prices to rise 20–50% in 2026

The crisis in the DRAM and NAND flash markets is escalating: DDR5 module prices have doubled in recent months, while SSD prices have climbed by 100–120 percent. This has already pushed PC makers into losses and forced them to adjust prices on finished systems. According to ZDNet Korea and industry analysts at TrendForce, laptops and desktops will become at least 20 percent more expensive in 2026, with increases of up to 50 percent in the premium segment. Gaming rigs and AI-focused systems are expected to be hit hardest.

DRAM Price Explosion: 171% Growth in One Year

Since early 2025, contract DRAM prices have risen by 171.8 percent — outpacing even gold. In the third quarter, spot prices for 16 GB DDR5 (2Gx8) jumped by 7.1 percent, while NAND wafers for SSDs (512 GB TLC) rose by 17.1 percent. By November, an average 2×16 GB DDR5-6000 kit cost $183 (up from $91 in July), and 64 GB kits reached $500 (up from $200).

Key reasons include:• The AI boom: cloud giants such as Microsoft, Google, and AWS are buying up 80 percent of all HBM (high-bandwidth memory), leaving little for the consumer market.• Wafer shortages: TSMC, Samsung, and SK Hynix have shifted capacity to server-grade DRAM and LPDDR5X, cutting DDR5 output for PCs by 20–30 percent.• The production cycle: after the downturn of 2022–2024, factories are struggling to ramp up again. TrendForce expects a “bull market” for DRAM through mid-2026, with quarterly price increases of 30–50 percent.

Distributors in Korea and Taiwan have already begun restricting purchases, while retailers in Japan are imposing memory quotas.

Impact on PCs and Laptops: +20–50%

Manufacturers are posting losses as not only DRAM but also SSDs (up 120 percent due to NAND), batteries (up 15–20 percent), and processors have become more expensive. Companies such as Dell, HP, and Lenovo are rushing to clear inventory at old prices, but 2026 models will arrive with at least a 20 percent markup.

Examples include:• A $1000 laptop with 16 GB RAM increasing to $1200–1300.• A gaming PC with 32 GB DDR5 becoming $150–200 more expensive simply due to memory.• Server systems rising by 30–40 percent because enterprise-grade DDR5 has supply priority.

CyberPowerPC has already announced price hikes across all SKUs starting December 7, 2025, citing a 500 percent increase in RAM costs and a doubling of SSD prices. In Russia, DNS and Citilink expect a 15–25 percent rise for PC builds starting January 2026.

More Pressure Coming: AMD and Radeon

AMD will raise prices on all Ryzen generations by 5–15 percent beginning December 3, citing the same supply-chain pressures. Board partners like PowerColor have warned that Radeon GPUs may rise by 10–20 percent in 2026, driven partly by a 30 percent increase in GDDR6 prices. NVIDIA may also revise pricing for the RTX 50-series.

What Consumers Can Do

• Right now: take advantage of Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales — these may be the last bargains at pre-crisis memory prices.• In 2026: consider DDR4-compatible platforms (while they still exist) or wait for stabilization in the second half of the year.• Alternatives: cloud gaming (GeForce Now, Xbox Cloud) and cloud-based AI services can reduce the need for high-end local hardware.

In Brief

A 171 percent surge in DRAM prices and a 120 percent jump in NAND, driven by the AI boom, will push PC and laptop prices up by 20–50 percent in 2026. Manufacturers are selling off old stock, but new models will be much more expensive. AMD has already started raising Ryzen prices, with Radeon GPUs expected to follow in 2026. The recommendation is clear: upgrade before the end of 2025 — next year will only get pricier.

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