ASUS now expects end-user device prices to run as much as 45 percent higher by the third quarter of 2026 compared with December 2025, according to reporting by Startup Fortune. CyberPowerPC says the RAM it buys has risen 500 percent since October 2025 alone.
The mechanics are simple. Memory makers have redirected nearly every available wafer to AI data centers, where HBM and high-capacity server DRAM earn far more per bit than a consumer module. A 32GB DDR5 kit that sold near $100 now lists for several hundred dollars, with one tracked Corsair kit moving from $117 to $439.
This is not a classic shortage caused by underinvestment. Capacity is running flat out. The problem is allocation, and the customer with the deepest pockets is winning every auction.
The knock-on effects are already visible in shipments. Omdia estimates global smartphone shipments fell 20 percent year on year in the third quarter, with vendors pulling back from low-margin devices because memory now eats too much of the bill of materials.
Contract prices for the first quarter of 2027 are forecast to rise sharply again, which means the current round of increases is unlikely to be the last. Server builders have seen quotes climb several times over in the worst cases.
For consumers, the practical advice is uncomfortable. Buy sooner rather than later, or buy used.
