'We held off for as long as we could': Framework gives stark warning about 'years' of RAM misery as it hikes prices on desktop PC

• Framework just hiked the price of its desktop PCs, particularly the top-end model
• The company said that the "memory outlook as we enter 2026 continues to get worse"
• It warned: "It's clear that this is going to be a challenging year and possibly even years for consumers"

Framework, which makes modular laptops along with a DIY desktop PC – all offering a range of custom configuration choices – has sounded a warning bell regarding RAM pricing.

The PC maker explained that: "We held off on it as long as we could, but with LPDDR5x memory prices from our suppliers continuing to increase rapidly, we've had to update the pricing on Framework Desktop systems and Mainboards."

In an update to a blog post about the current volatile memory market, Framework further noted that with its desktop PC: "The prices of 128Gbit parts (of which we use 8 to get to 128GB) have spiked the most, impacting our very popular 128GB configuration."

The price of all its desktops has gone up, although Framework says any existing pre-orders won't have their asking price changed. The 32GB and 64GB PCs have been kept "closer to our original pricing", but the computer with 128GB has seen a big price hike.

The 128GB configuration of the Framework Desktop is now 50% pricier than the 64GB version (carrying the same hardware spec otherwise). This means you're paying $820 (in the US) for the extra 64GB of system RAM, making for one nasty sting of a price hike.

Most worrying, Framework also wrote: "The memory outlook as we enter 2026 continues to get worse. From what we learned in meetings throughout the week at CES with suppliers, distributors, and partners, it's clear that this is going to be a challenging year and possibly even years for consumers."

Analysis: stormy seas ahead – but for how long?

That last quote is one of the more pessimistic predictions we've seen on how long the memory crisis might drag on. The use of the word 'years' is not comforting, and it suggests that RAM supply and pricing difficulties could persist through not just this year, but next – and maybe even longer.

There have previously been suggestions from some quarters that we may not see a return to normal for RAM costs until 2028, and this appears to back up this notion – although it is still couched as a possibility by Framework, not a foregone conclusion by any means.

Ultimately, those well placed in the industry are only offering their best educated guess as to how prolonged these component price hikes may be, which go beyond RAM and into storage (which also uses memory chips), as well as GPUs (which have video RAM).

It puts PC makers in a difficult position, of course, and consumers who are trying to buy parts to build their own computer, too. For that reason, there's a lot of gloom around PC sales predictions for this year, and about all we can do is hope to get 2026 out of the way, and that a recovery might be in line for 2027.

However, given the gathering momentum behind AI – which is a key factor in the RAM crisis, as tons of memory is being bought up for AI usage (including copious amounts of VRAM in AI GPUs) – it's easy enough to remain pessimistic. Especially as Framework's viewpoint seemingly comes from a wide-ranging set of conversations with all its various suppliers and others along the distribution chain.

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