Why are PC prices increasing after CES 2026?

PC prices are rising due to the US dollar's 9% decline in 2025 and the volatile RAM market, making hardware more expensive to produce.

How did the 2025 dollar decline affect PC hardware?

The dollar's fall against other currencies increased the cost of imported components and thus the final price of PCs set in US dollars.

What changes can we expect in future PCs?

Future PCs may feature more RAM-efficient operating systems, user-upgradeable components, and likely higher overall prices.

Home / Technology / PC Prices Soar as Dollar Plummets and RAM Costs Explode

PC Prices Soar as Dollar Plummets and RAM Costs Explode

13 Jan

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Summary

The US dollar fell 9% against major currencies in 2025, impacting PC hardware pricing.
CES 2026 PCs were designed before the chaotic RAM market and dollar decline.
Future PCs may feature more RAM-efficient OS, user-upgradeable hardware, and higher prices.

PC Prices Soar as Dollar Plummets and RAM Costs Explode

The global PC market is bracing for higher prices, influenced significantly by a 9% depreciation of the US dollar against major currencies in 2025. This economic shift impacts how hardware, particularly memory components, is priced. The PCs unveiled at CES 2026, designed in a more stable economic climate, now face the reality of volatile RAM and SSD costs.

Manufacturers might have prioritized Windows 11 optimization for 8GB of RAM if they had foreseen the surge in memory prices. Instead, the trend leaned towards 16GB as standard for Copilot+ PCs, with many premium laptops offering 32GB. The lack of user-upgradeable RAM in many 2025 laptops, including those with Intel's Lunar Lake SoC and soldered memory, exacerbates this issue.