AI Surge: Why RAM prices for desktops and PCs are rising and will continue to increase in 2026

The rise of Artificial Intelligence (AI) is already having a negative effect on computer hardware prices, and that trend is set to continue in 2026.

The key hardware component for the vast requests handled by AI apps like ChatGPT and Google Gemini is Random Access Memory (RAM) or Unified Memory.

The amount of RAM in a computer determines how much work it can do at once, and the CPU-intensive nature of completing AI tasks means it requires more memory just to keep pace.

The majority of budget PCs still ship with 8GB RAM, and in rare cases, less.

Rising RAM Prices Impact Budget PCs: Prepare for Higher Costs in 2026

This, however, is set to change quickly— possibly as soon as January next year, though.

No longer will a bottom-of-the-range laptop be able to run the complicated AI apps that are becoming commonplace in the average workflow.

Hardware manufacturers have been quick to capitalise on this area, which is set to be in even greater demand in the future, and have radically increased the price of RAM. Apple though, seem to be mostly unaffected by this increase.

It’s also a case of many factories simply not being able to keep up with the demand.

It means that standard desktop/laptop memory is now much more expensive and difficult to source. Manufacturers might pass increased component costs onto consumers—leading to higher prices for PCs, laptops, and pre-built systems.

According to resellcalendar.com, RAM prices have risen by 171% in the third quarter of 2025 alone.

In the US, a 2×16 GB DDR5 kit had a median retail price of ~US$95.20 on September 1; by October 8, that kit was going for ~US$132.10.

The US tariffs, especially on China, have not helped matters either.

Get ready to pay more, for more— as budget PCs will become far less budget.

@Michael_Sherman

IOL Tech