If you've priced out a gaming PC recently and the total felt higher than you remembered, you're not imagining it. Analyst firm IDC now expects average PC prices to climb as much as 8% through 2026, and memory is the reason why.

AI data centers are eating the supply

Chipmakers are pouring capacity into the high-bandwidth memory that powers AI servers, leaving less room to produce the standard DRAM and NAND flash that goes into consumer PCs, graphics cards, and consoles. With demand from AI infrastructure showing no sign of slowing, several manufacturers have said meaningful relief isn't likely before late 2027.

What it means at checkout

Some prebuilt desktops are already shipping without RAM installed, leaving buyers to source their own kit at whatever price it happens to be that week. On the graphics card side, it's part of why no major new consumer GPU is expected from Nvidia this year — a first in three decades. Short term, that means fewer bargains: if you've been eyeing an upgrade, budgeting extra for memory and comparing prices across multiple retailers is more worth it than usual right now.