A shortage of ram and flash memory chips, driven by the ai boom, has caused prices to triple in just three months, making it a poor time to build or upgrade pcs. While gpu prices have stabilized, the rising costs affect ssds and both ddr4 and ddr5 kits, with higher-capacity options hit hardest. Manufacturers like lenovo are stockpiling components to mitigate impacts.
The memory market has entered a turbulent phase, with ram kits now costing over three times their price from three months ago, according to ars technica. This spike stems from an ai-driven demand surge for chips, compounded by panic buying from consumers and device makers. For instance, mainstream to high-end gpus like amd's radeon rx 9060 xt and 9070 series, or nvidia's rtx 5060, 5070, and 5080, are available at or below suggested retail prices—a rarity earlier this year—but ram and ssd costs have soared, leaving many components sold out.
The shortages impact all capacities of ddr4 and ddr5 ram, as well as ssds, though increases for storage remain less severe so far. Ars technica notes that pc builders should cling to existing ram to avoid the hikes, as ramping up production can take years. Historical parallels include the 2016-2017 shortages, which led to oversupply and price drops in 2018-2019, hurting manufacturers like samsung and sk hynix.
Companies are responding variably. Lenovo is stockpiling memory to last through 2026 and plans to absorb costs in the current quarter, per bloomberg. Apple, with strong margins, is well-positioned, say morgan stanley and bernstein analysts. Framework, known for upgradeable laptops, has halted standalone ram sales to combat scalpers and expects to raise prices soon. Tom's hardware reports amd will increase gpu prices by about 10 percent next year, while nvidia may scrap a planned rtx 50-series super refresh due to shortages—originally set to boost memory to 3gb gddr7 per card.
A techradar leaker suggests microsoft could hike xbox series x and s prices soon because of the ram crunch. Valve's upcoming steam machine, featuring amd zen 4 cpu and rdna3 gpu, will price like a comparable pc—around $700-plus—rather than a subsidized console, with launch targeted for early 2026 amid volatile costs. Pierre-loup griffais of valve told skill up the device offers unique features like a small form factor and quiet operation, despite 8gb vram.
