A new TrendForce report says shortages have reached what manufacturers privately call an alarming level, forcing them to rejig configurations and whack up prices to keep stock moving.

Manufacturers are now planning around scarcity, with DRAM supply constraints baked into pricing strategies to protect margins and inventory. Firms like the Grey Box Shifter Dell are expected to push through price rises of hundreds of dollars, while higher-memory models are tipped to hit what the report calls an “absurd” price point.

According to TrendForce, the mid-range notebook segment, still the biggest slice of the market, is steadily drifting towards eight gigabytes of RAM as the default. The move is designed to keep supply lines intact rather than delight buyers.

TrendForce said laptop shipments are shifting to eight gigabytes as firms make “long-term adjustments”, warning that price volatility will become more aggressive as the market moves into Q2 2026.

Some vendors had cushioned the blow earlier this year by leaning on large DRAM inventories, which limited price rises. That buffer is now running dry, and broader hikes look unavoidable.

The TrendForce data also shows entry-level smartphones sliding to four gigabytes of RAM, though the notebook shift is likely to sting more given how bloated modern software has become.

Microsoft set a baseline of 16 gigabytes for Copilot-certified PCs in 2025, but that assumption is already wobbling as memory prices rise and supply tightens.

Developers may soon be told to slim down their code, as higher-RAM configurations become luxury options rather than defaults.

Dell is already charging an extra $550 for a jump from 16 gigabytes to 32 gigabytes of LPDDR5X memory, nudging PC makers into the same pricing territory long occupied by the Fruity Cargo Cult Apple.

With supply chains tightening and prices climbing, the PC industry is heading into 2026 with fewer easy answers and even less memory to spare.