For more than a decade, the PC market has proven resilient in the face of shifting technology trends. Predictions of a so-called “post-PC” era, once promoted by Apple, never fully materialized, as personal computers have remained essential tools for millions of users. Today, however, that resilience is being tested again by a global memory shortage driven by the explosive growth of AI-powered data centers.

In recent months, prices for RAM and NAND storage such as SSDs have surged sharply due to tightening supply. The impact was first felt in the DIY PC market, where component prices spiked and, in extreme cases, some builders even sold PCs without RAM. The effects are now spreading to laptops and desktops from major manufacturers including Lenovo, Dell, HP, Asus, and Acer.

According to TrendForce projections, memory prices are expected to rise further in the first quarter of 2026, putting additional pressure on PC and laptop pricing. Early signs of this trend were already visible at CES 2026, as several vendors began adjusting their pricing strategies.

Asus, for example, has informed its distribution partners of upcoming price increases linked to memory market conditions. Dell is also reported to have revised the launch prices of the XPS 14 and XPS 16 just hours before their official announcement. Lenovo, meanwhile, has opted to stockpile memory to secure supply throughout 2026, while HP has warned of potential price hikes and lower RAM configurations later this year, despite holding some inventory.

Reducing RAM capacity, however, is not an easy fix. While Windows 11 technically supports a minimum of 4 GB of RAM, performance at that level is widely considered suboptimal. TrendForce notes that entry-level laptops cannot quickly scale down RAM due to operating system limitations and processor requirements.

This challenge comes at an inopportune time. With Windows 10 reaching end-of-support, many organizations are migrating to Windows 11, a transition often accompanied by hardware refresh cycles. The PC shipment recovery seen in 2025 now risks stalling as memory supplies grow increasingly constrained.

Moreover, rising memory prices may not be a temporary issue. IDC views the situation as a structural shift, with wafer production capacity increasingly allocated to AI-related needs. Memory makers such as Samsung, SK Hynix, and Micron are prioritizing high-capacity HBM and DDR5 for data centers, reducing availability for consumer PCs and laptops.

The gaming PC market is also feeling the strain. Smaller system builders that cannot stockpile RAM and SSDs are expected to be hit hardest, creating opportunities for large OEMs to gain market share. Pricing pressure is even emerging in GPUs, with high-end graphics cards like the RTX 5090 selling well above official retail prices.

If the cost of building gaming PCs continues to climb throughout 2026, the impact may extend beyond the PC market. Plans for next-generation consoles, including Xbox and PlayStation, could also be affected by rising component costs.

This memory crisis represents a major test for the future of the PC amid the aggressive push toward AI. While it does not signal the end of the PC era, it clearly illustrates how AI is reshaping priorities within the semiconductor industry, with direct consequences for consumers.