Gies, Arthur. “The Death of the Cheap Laptop Is Coming.” New York Times, 4 Mar. 2026, https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/reviews/ai-laptop-phone-prices/.
This research article discusses the surge in PC component prices. In the last year alone, RAM, the memory inside home PCs, has seen prices skyrocket up 300%. Drives have also risen in price since December 2025 due to the pressure to build an enormous number of AI data centers. With this, laptops are now facing potential price changes. For example, “Dell’s new XPS 14 launched in January for more than $2,000, in contrast to an initial price of $1,550 for the comparable Dell Premium 14 model in 2025.” And it’s not just home computers and laptops, your own gaming systems might see an increase in pricing or a delay in production. This influx of supply and demand is because every electronic device people use is made by the same handful of companies. “Almost all PC and smart-device memory (or DRAM) is made by Samsung and SK Hynix, which are both based in South Korea, and Micron, which is based in the US. The same companies, plus a few others, are responsible for virtually all production of NAND.”
This one felt very close to home. I built my PC back in 2023, and even then, the prices were poor due to the effects of COVID. A friend of mine builds PCs as a hobby, and this has been a frequent conversation for over a year now. Especially since Micron decided to step away from consumer production of chips to focus on AI solely. It’s something I’ll definitely be keeping an eye on.
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