Gaming PC Prices on the Rise? Blame AI’s Insatiable Appetite for RAM

Custom gaming PC builders like CyberPowerPC and Maingear are facing a tough reality: the rising cost of RAM. CyberPowerPC already announced price adjustments set to take effect, while Maingear hopes to delay the inevitable. This isn’t exactly surprising to anyone watching the component market.

CyberPowerPC states that RAM prices have reportedly surged by 500% and SSDs by 100% since late 2025. Whether that “late 2025” date is correct is up for debate, it appears they are referring to recent market conditions. These increases, they say, will impact the cost of building their PCs. I’ve seen component price hikes before, driven by various factors. This time, though, the scale feels different.

Maingear, for its part, is signaling potential shortages. The CEO Wallace Santos suggested customers consider making purchases now, highlighting current pricing that has been “sheltered from these price increases.”

Skytech Gaming also acknowledged feeling the pinch of rising RAM costs.

But what’s driving this surge? The increasing demand for memory from AI companies building massive data centers is frequently cited. These AI systems need vast amounts of RAM to operate, putting pressure on supply. It’s like a feeding frenzy, with the AI industry gobbling up the available memory. The demand isn’t just driven by traditional servers. High bandwidth memory (HBM) chips are required to improve performance of new gen AI accelerators.

That brings up a broader point. Component pricing in the PC market has always been cyclical. We see periods of scarcity, followed by gluts, and the prices fluctuate accordingly. Remember the cryptocurrency mining craze that sent GPU prices soaring? This feels similar, but the AI boom might have more staying power.

Yet, CyberPowerPC predicts the price increases will be temporary, normalizing “when market conditions change.” That’s an optimistic view. Will the AI demand truly taper off? Or will this become the new normal, with PC gamers competing with massive tech companies for limited RAM supplies? It remains to be seen.

It’s worth noting that pricing at physical stores are reportedly beginning to mimic seafood restaurants, with costs shifting based on market fluctuations. How can consumers trust pricing with limited visibility into what is actually happening?

This situation presents a challenge for PC gamers. Building or upgrading a rig could become significantly more expensive. This could price some players out of the market, or force them to make compromises on components. It could also push more gamers towards consoles, which offer a more predictable price point.

Looking ahead, what can be done? Perhaps manufacturers will ramp up RAM production to meet the growing demand. Perhaps alternative memory technologies will emerge. Or maybe, just maybe, the AI hype will cool down.

These price swings have a ripple effect. Consider the impact on independent game developers. Fewer high-end gaming PCs in the hands of consumers means potentially smaller target audiences for graphically intensive games. This could affect game development budgets and the types of games being created.

On the flip side, it could incentivize developers to optimize their games for lower-end hardware, making them more accessible to a wider audience. This might lead to more creative game design choices, focusing on gameplay and story rather than pure graphical fidelity.

Given these facts, now might be a good time to re-evaluate your upgrade plans. If you’ve been putting off that RAM upgrade, now may be the time to buy. It might also be worth exploring cloud gaming services, which offload the hardware requirements to the provider.

Still, let’s not overreact. Price fluctuations are a constant in the tech world. This isn’t the first time we’ve seen RAM prices spike, and it probably won’t be the last. But the scale of the AI demand does add a new dimension to the situation.

The coming months will be critical. We’ll see how RAM manufacturers respond, how the AI market evolves, and how PC builders adapt. One thing is certain: the price of RAM is a topic that every PC gamer needs to be paying attention to.

In any case, this situation highlights the interconnectedness of the tech industry. The AI boom, while bringing exciting innovations, is impacting seemingly unrelated markets like PC gaming. It’s a reminder that every technology decision has consequences, often in unexpected places. It is important to not only consider the cost, but the overall risk when making a high value purchase for computer equipment.

The question that lingers: will this be a short-term bump or a long-term shift in the landscape of PC gaming? Only time will tell.

Read Original

Keywords: gaming PC prices, RAM prices, AI demand, PC gaming, CyberPowerPC, Maingear, Skytech Gaming, RAM shortage