Jowi Morales Social Links Navigation Contributing Writer Jowi Morales is a tech enthusiast with years of experience working in the industry. He’s been writing with several tech publications since 2021, where he’s been interested in tech hardware and consumer electronics.
thisisaname Only 8% I think that is rather low, or do they think a lot of people are going to buy a pre-built without memory? I do not think may people are going to buy a pre-built without memory. I would buy a pre-build because I might not want to built or or source the parts to built it. The only thing a quoting a price without memory does it make it look like you systems are cheaper than the competition without them being cheaper than the competition. Reply
LordVile Glad I’m not planning an upgrade for a while and my MacBook will run until it dies. Reply
LordVile thisisaname said: Only 8% I think that is rather low, or do they think a lot of people are going to buy a pre-built without memory? I do not think may people are going to buy a pre-built without memory. I would buy a pre-build because I might not want to built or or source the parts to built it. The only thing a quoting a price without memory does it make it look like you systems are cheaper than the competition without them being cheaper than the competition. TBH I’d ship it with RAM and not try and make maintain a margin on the increases price for the RAM as that would drop you below competitors and not affect your bottom line much Reply
usertests I agree that 8% isn't too much. DIY has been hit hard but the prebuilt supply chain can weather the storm somewhat, or include less RAM. I've bought clearance prebuilts with 1x8GB DDR4 and upgraded the RAM later. That amount is probably still available in some lower end devices at retailers like Walmart. Two examples (URL says 16 GB but 8 GB is selected): https://www.walmart.com/ip/HP-OmniDesk-M03-Business-PC-Desktop-Intel-Core-Ultra-5-225-Processor-10-Cores-4-9GHz-Intel-AI-Boost-16GB-DDR5-RAM-1TB-SSD-USB-C-Wi-Fi-6-Windows-11-Pr/18657813070https://www.walmart.com/ip/HP-Pavilion-Desktop-Computers-16GB-1TB-HD-1TB-SSD-Natural-Silver/18228817441 16 GB is more common now but there are still SKUs with 8 GB DDR5. You can include that much RAM without it being a complete unusable embarrassment. There are Windows 11 S-mode laptops with 4 GB of RAM being sold right this moment in brick & mortar retailers, but they may have been sitting on store shelves for years. Then there are some Chromebooks like Lenovo Duet that usually have a 4 GB option, and there are low-end Android tablets with as little as 3 GB (maybe 2 GB idk). Reply
USAFRet Parts I bought last year. Nov 2024 – Dec 2025. $1900 to $2500, for the exact same parts. The vast majority of the increase was RAM. $210 – $750. Reply
Hotrod2go So glad I indulged in DDR5 RAM purchases last couple yrs now. I have 5 sets in total but all 2x16GB kits. I'll be right until DDR6 is mainstream. Reply
RoLleRKoaSTeR So glad I upgraded to 64GB DDR4 on my system. FTFA – only 8percent My BS meter is smoking. Reply
Heat_Fan89 TeamGroup DDR5 32GB (2×16) AMD Expo CL30-36-36-36-76 $88.10 in Feb 2025 $439.99 12-22-25 Reply
Key considerations
- Investor positioning can change fast
- Volatility remains possible near catalysts
- Macro rates and liquidity can dominate flows
Reference reading
- https://www.tomshardware.com/tech-industry/SPONSORED_LINK_URL
- https://www.tomshardware.com/tech-industry/idc-expects-average-pc-prices-to-jump-by-up-to-8-percent-in-2026-due-to-crushing-memory-shortages-some-vendors-already-selling-pre-builts-without-ram#main
- https://www.tomshardware.com
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Informational only. No financial advice. Do your own research.