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You can blame AI for a lot of things, starting with its massive environmental impact Artificial intelligence data centers It consumes huge amounts of land, water and energy AI slope This is what makes advertising and social media one way or another Even worse. Artificial intelligence sucks the meaning out of our livesAnd he too Sucks in Sudoku. You can also blame AI for the rising cost of computers.
The AI boom has led to a shortage of PC memory, as AI companies gobble up RAM and storage to power thousands of servers in their growing number of data centers. This increased demand has led to a sharp rise in the price of random access memory (RAM) as memory chip makers shift their manufacturing toward more profitable high-bandwidth memory for AI data centers and away from consumer DRAM.
according to Counterpoint ResearchDRAM prices have risen 80 to 90% in just the first six weeks of 2026. In fact, Micron prices will rise Stop shipping their critical brand of DRAM in full by the end of this month “to improve the offering and support for our largest strategic customers in the fastest growing sectors.” These largest strategic customers are AI companies.
As DRAM supplies dwindle, the prices of everything with DRAM inside them — namely laptops and desktops — are rising in price. It may take years – plural – for prices to start falling again. At a Cisco conference earlier this month, Intel CEO Lip Bo Tan He said“No relief until 2028.”
According to reportsDell will raise the prices of its computers by 15% to 20%, and Lenovo said its prices will rise this year. You can expect other PC vendors to follow suit. If you want to get ahead of higher costs that are expected to arrive sooner rather than later, here are two suggestions.
1. Don’t delay if you’re shopping for a computer now
With no relief expected until 2028, it makes no sense to wait. If you have money set aside for your next laptop and can buy it now, I would make that purchase before the price goes up.
Major laptop makers and retailers are constantly rotating discounts, so you can usually find… Good deal for laptop If you monitor prices for a few weeks and buy on the dip. Prices are generally rising, but that doesn’t mean you can’t find a price that is falling over a period Sell laptop.
2. Buy as much pre-installed RAM as possible
Most laptops have soldered RAM that you can’t upgrade after purchase, so this is a good rule of thumb anytime when purchasing a laptop. But it’s better advice (if I do say so myself) at this particular point in time, with prices poised to take off. If you can cram 32GB or even 64GB of RAM into the laptop you’re eyeing, I say go for it.
For gaming laptops that have user-replaceable RAM that is not soldered to the motherboard, it may be a good idea to fill these DIMM slots when configuring a model for purchase. Because if you’re planning to buy a gaming laptop with minimal RAM now, but leave a DIMM slot or two free to add more RAM later, you’ll likely find yourself paying more for it than you are paying now.
Five laptop recommendations
To help you find a laptop before prices rise, here are five laptops that I recommend without hesitation. Each won our Editors’ Choice award, and each offers up to 32GB of RAM or gives you the option to increase the base 16GB allotment to 32GB or 64GB.
the HP Omnibook 5 14 and Asus ZenBook A14 They are thin and lightweight laptops with sleek all-metal designs and beautiful OLED displays. Each offers a Qualcomm Snapdragon Smooth processor and exceptional battery life. The ZenBook A14 I reviewed came with 32GB of RAM, and the OmniBook 5 14 only had 16GB of RAM. But HP lets you configure the OmniBook 5 14 with 32GB of RAM while keeping the cost under $1,000.
For players, Lenovo Legion 5i 10th Generation It offers a high-resolution OLED display that expands its appeal beyond just gaming. Its price remained steady at $1,569 at Newegg. There’s no telling how long the price will stay, but that’s great for a mid-range, all-around gaming laptop with RTX 5060 graphics. Lenovo also did the best two-in-one CNET reviewed last year almost perfectly Lenovo Yoga 9i 2 in 1 Aura Edition.
Almost my recommendations are my favorite MacBook, Air 15 inchesWhich provides the optimal balance between screen size and system weight, along with Apple’s powerful and efficient M4 processor. I reviewed it with 16GB of RAM, however, you can expand it to 24GB or 32GB before purchasing.
For more, check out The best laptops of 2026, Best Windows Laptops, The best MacBooksand Best budget gaming laptops, Best two in one and Best laptops battery life.