I used to only look at CPU when buying laptops—never thought twice about RAM
Last week I tried to get the team a 64GB laptop. Saw the price. Bailed on the spot—5x more than last year. My friend Xiaolin just emptied her shopping cart.
What actually happened—and who's getting hit
Quick analogy: think of "RAM" as your desk surface—the bigger it is, the more apps you can run at once. Right now the big AI companies have basically booked out all of 2027's memory production capacity. Prices jumped 500% in a year. Tom's Hardware is calling it "RAMgeddon."
In my videographer creator group chat, Ajie (a video editor) was venting that his old workstation can't even sell secondhand—new prices spiked so hard that buyers are all waiting it out.
For us, the first wave hits people buying new computers. Second wave: anyone subscribing to cloud AI tools like Midjourney or ChatGPT—suppliers' costs are going up, so the platforms will eventually pass it on.
4 things you can do today
Money: $0. Not a cent.
Time: 15 minutes.
Tech barrier: you can open a browser.
First step: open your most-used AI tool (ChatGPT, Midjourney, CapCut AI—whatever), go to Account or Subscription, screenshot the current price. Compare next month and you'll know if it's gone up.
Different stage, different play
Just starting out (barely using AI tools yet): honestly, I'd hold off on the high-end laptop. Web-based AI tools run a few dozen bucks a month—plenty for now. Wait till memory prices settle before any hardware upgrade.
Got 1-2 clients: I'd screenshot every AI tool subscription price and stash them somewhere safe—good ammo at renewal. Also, keep local backups of important files. I learned not to bet everything on cloud pricing staying stable.
Scaling (team of 3+): my take—don't buy hardware outright. Rent cloud servers month-to-month. And switch AI tool subscriptions from annual to monthly so you've got wiggle room.