RAM is a part of the computer’s brain, and its absence puts the entire manufacturer ecosystem in trouble. A popular computer assembler has already put it up for sale a PC without RAM memorywhich is basically a useless brick, but with RAM it would double its price.
Artificial intelligence companies have bought up all the RAM and NAND memory for their data centers, at least until 2028, so the rest of us are left with crumbs. And those crumbs sell for gold.
In the United States, 64 GB of DDR5 RAM has gone from costing $300 to more than $1,000. AND The problem is not only the price, it is that there is no stock.
PC without RAM memory: turn to the black market
Many branded laptops and PCs will be sold with only 8 GB of RAM in 2026, an insufficient amount, considering that Windows 11 alone already consumes 4 GB. And the same is going to happen with mobile phones, which are going to return to 4 GB of RAM.
There are rumors that Nvidia is going to reduce its graphics card production by 40% in 2026, in addition to canceling the RTX Super, and all its mid-range cards with more than 8 GB of VRAM.
The PC assembler Paradox Customs already openly announces that, due to the shortage and price of RAM, start selling PCs without memoryso that you can look for life:
«Due to the current RAM shortage and skyrocketing RAM prices, we now offer the option to select without RAM. If you already have RAM or can get it elsewhere, feel free to use this option.»
Companies that sell custom computers, such as Paradox Customs, are afraid that by adding cheap memory to the configuration, the price of the PC will skyrocket, and the customer will back out. So they have cut it short: They sell the PC without RAM and the customer makes a living in second-hand storesor use your old RAM.
This, of course, is a big problem. Using old RAM greatly reduces performance on a new computer. You also have to take into account the latencies and speed, the type of RAM you install depends on the rest of the hardware, it is not something you can exchange lightly. It will work, yes, but very far from its real performance.
And it is that RAM shortage affects the entire sector. Many users are going to delay renewing their PC as long as they can, so it will affect sales of motherboards, processors, and graphics cards. A complicated 2026 is coming for everyone.