Rising RAM costs push buyers toward refurbished PCs, DDR4 and ChromeOS

RAM prices have surged recently, with PCPartPicker reporting the average price of a 2x32GB DDR5-6000 kit reached nearly $800 in December 2025 — more than the current listed price of Sony's PS5 Pro at $749 — and RAM rising another 50% in Q1 2026 alone, the outlet said. ZDNET noted the increases hit students, power users, professionals and gamers.

Acer, in a blog post cited by ZDNET, points to several factors driving the increases, naming the rise of AI as "the single biggest driver behind the shortage," along with manufacturing challenges, growing hardware demands and a decline in DDR4 production. Industry analysts at TrendForce say notebook shipments are shifting toward lower-tier 8GB models as vendors try to stabilise supply chains, meaning machines that once shipped with 16GB may opt for less.

The ZDNET guide recommends several strategies to save money. Buying refurbished machines on marketplaces such as BackMarket can yield steep discounts — examples cited include Lenovo ThinkPads under $300, an M3 MacBook Air around $693 and Chromebooks for less than $100 — and older or last-generation laptops such as Dell's Inspiron 16 Plus models and Acer's Swift X 14 can remain capable without new RAM prices.

Other suggestions include monitoring seasonal sales (ZDNET pointed to Amazon's Big Spring Sale as a recurring opportunity and said it will track notable deals), prioritising systems that use DDR4 instead of DDR5, and buying RAM-and-motherboard bundles.

Key Topics

Tech, Backmarket, Acer, Chromebooks, Trendforce