February 25, 2026
RAM-pocalypse now
RAM now represents 35 percent of bill of materials for HP PCs
RAM eats a third of your PC cost—buyers joke, builders fume
TLDR: HP says memory now makes up 35% of a PC’s build cost as chip prices double, so it’s raising prices and cutting specs. Commenters brag about past RAM upgrades, warn of supply chaos wrecking small projects, call for local factories, and meme through the pain—because pricier, weaker PCs affect everyone
HP just admitted the unthinkable: memory now eats 35% of what it costs them to build a PC, up from 15–18% last quarter. Translation for non-nerds: the stick of “short-term brain” your computer needs is suddenly the most expensive kid in class. HP says chip prices doubled, shortages will drag into 2027, and they’re hiking PC prices while pushing machines with less RAM. Cue the comment-section riot.
On one side, the smug survivors: one user boasted they “splurged” on 24GB for their MacBook and feel set for years. On the other, doomscrollers predicting a RAM black market—one commenter darkly joked about “missing shipping trucks being stolen,” while another said even 1GB of memory for a small project jumped from $3 to $32, nuking their budget and forcing a redesign. That’s not a vibe; that’s carnage.
The memes showed up too—“Just download more RAM!”—because of course they did. Meanwhile, a more serious thread pushed Europe to build its own RAM factories, hoping for supply independence. HP claims it’s adding suppliers, using AI to streamline logistics, and offering cheaper models with fewer features—and yes, less memory. The crowd’s verdict? If memory’s this pricey, expect pricier PCs that feel slower out of the box. And no, AI won’t conjure more chips from thin air [link]
Key Points
- •HP says RAM’s share of its PC bill of materials rose from ~15–18% in fiscal Q4 2025 to ~35% for fiscal 2026.
- •Memory costs have increased about 100% sequentially, with further increases expected.
- •HP anticipates the RAM shortage will most severely impact financials in the second half of its fiscal year.
- •Rising DRAM and NAND prices are driving input cost increases, with volatility likely through FY2026 into FY2027.
- •HP’s Personal Systems revenue rose 11% YoY to $10.3B; consumer PC units +14% YoY, business PC units +11% YoY.