Gartner says sub-$500 PCs could disappear by 2028 due to RAM crisis
Gartner is predicting that sub-$500 PCs will completely disappear by 2028, as the AI-driven memory crisis makes budget laptops economically unviable — with PC memory costs expected to hit 23% of the total bill-of-materials, up from 16% in 2025. The ripple effects go further: a projected 130% surge in DRAM and SSD prices by end of 2026 is expected to push PC prices up 17% and trigger a 10.4% decline in global shipments. The practical result is that consumers will hold onto their machines longer — Gartner estimates 15-20% longer upgrade cycles — creating a growing pool of aging, increasingly vulnerable devices.