What the RAM price increases mean for you?
Published on 30th January 2026
What’s driving the increase in RAM prices?
Some of the big news stories of 2025 focused on major memory manufacturers moving out of the consumer markets, and prioritising enterprise and AI-focused contracts. For this type of business, demand is predictable and margins are higher – they can sell their output many months in advance meaning memory never even makes it near the consumer market.
Micron’s confirmation that it will exit the consumer DRAM market under the Crucial brand by 2026 is a clear signal of this shift. As more production capacity is redirected toward data centres and AI infrastructure, the supply available for consumer-grade RAM becomes tighter.
Its not just AI increasing demand; however, modern computing is more memory-hungry than ever. Your laptop probably has some AI-enabled features, and you more than likely use a modern operating system, cloud computing, and expect great graphics on your gaming PC. Where 8GB of RAM once felt generous, 16GB is becoming the baseline for smooth multitasking on modern machines. In short, demand was already increasing without the boom in AI, but what we’re seeing is a bottleneck as the tech industry as a whole goes through this big shift to AI computing.
MANUFACTURING CONSTRAINTS
IT would be easy if we could just spin up a few new factories, right? Well, RAM is produced in highly specialised semiconductor fabrication plants that require enormous investment and long lead times to expand. We’re talking years. Unlike other components, manufacturers can’t simply “turn up” production overnight in response to demand.
That’s why we’ve seen manufacturers selling their production output months and months ahead of time. There’s now a big lag between rising demand and increased supply, one of the classic conditions for sustained price pressure.
So what does this mean for tech consumers?
Rising RAM prices ripple through the entire product ecosystem, not just in terms of cost but in terms of how systems are built and promoted. In practical terms, this means we’re seeing:
- Higher prices for laptops, desktops and gaming PCs. Your entry-level model might cost up to £100 more by the end of 2026 just due to increased manufacturing costs
- Fewer entry-level models as lower-margin models become harder for manufacturers to sustain
- Fewer or shallower discounts available for the same reason; with slimmer margins to work with we don’t expect to see the big sale events of previous years, especially on popular models
- Lower availability and potential stock disruption. We’ve already seen this on components themselves, but expect a knock-on effect on laptops and desktops too in both the consumer and business markets
So what should you do?
For some shoppers, the impact might not look very dramatic, but it is noticeable over time. If you have your eye on a specific component, our advice is to buy it and lock in the current pricing. If you wait a few months it might be out of stock, or only available at a higher price. Waiting for a sale – like you might have done in previous years – isn’t a guaranteed win in 2026.
If you’re in the market for a machine, think about future-proofing your purchase and choose a system with the most RAM you can afford. In many cases spending a bit more upfront can extend the life of a device and mean you won’t have to think about upgrading again until (hopefully) the market’s settled down.
One of our top tips for this year is to consider buying a refurbished machine. These can offer a great spec for a lower price than new so your money goes much further.
What will happen long-term?
RAM prices are expected to remain high in the near term, with gradual stabilisation likely as manufacturers expand capacity and supply chains adapt to new demand patterns. However, AI adoption doesn’t seem to be slowing down anytime soon, which means that the long-term trend points to memory becoming an even more critical component of modern computing.
For consumers, the key takeaway is simple; don’t wait too long to buy, and future-proof your purchase as much as you can. If you’re on a budget or just want great value, refurbs are definitely your friend and that’s where you’ll find the real bargains in 2026.
