Overview
- Gartner projects DRAM and SSD prices to surge about 130% by year‑end, pushing average PC prices roughly 17% higher.
- The firm expects manufacturers to pass costs through and accept lower unit volumes, with $500–$1,000 systems hit hardest.
- Entry‑level PCs under $500 are forecast to disappear by 2028 as memory takes a larger share of the bill of materials.
- Device lifetimes are set to rise, with Gartner estimating a roughly 20% increase for consumers by the end of 2026, which could delay AI PC adoption.
- Gartner flags Q2 for faster price inflation as DRAM inventories thin, with entry‑level smartphones facing similar pressure that steers buyers to refurbished devices.