RAM price hikes: the latest on the global memory shortage – The Verge

Best Buy is selling an RTX 5080 for more than the RTX 5090’s MSRP

2026-07-30T11:48:10-04:00

Best Buy has raised the price of the Asus ROG Astral RTX 5080 OC to $2,099 - the first time a major US retailer is directly selling an RTX 5080 for more than the $1,999 MSRP of the RTX 5090, VideoCardz reports. The ROG Astral RTX 5080 OC now costs 40 percent more than its launch price of $1,499, and over double the $999 MSRP of the RTX 5080 Founders Edition.

As VideoCardz notes, this is currently the only RTX 5080 directly sold by Best Buy that's priced over the RTX 5090's MSRP. There are still other RTX 5080 GPUs available for significantly less, including at other retailers - Asus is selling the ROG Astral RTX 5080 OC for $1,899, which i …

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Qualcomm is raising phone chip prices starting September 1st

2026-07-29T17:41:56-04:00

RAMageddon won't be the only reason your next phone costs more - Qualcomm is about to raise prices on all its processors, as well. Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon said on Wednesday that "prices are going to go up" on the company's products starting on September 1st, CNBC reports. The price hikes were rumored last week to be "a percentage in the double digits."

Qualcomm announced the planned price increases while reporting a 20 percent year-over-year drop in revenue from its handset business, the lowest it's reported since 2021. In its quarterly earnings presentation, Qualcomm said this drop is due to "unprecedented increases in memory pricing …

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4GB graphics cards are back

2026-07-28T14:49:17-04:00

The first modern GPU with 4GB of VRAM has appeared, as RAM prices and component shortages push tech prices higher. As Digital Foundry reports, a listing for an AMD Radeon RX 9050 with 4GB of RAM was spotted on ASRock's website by a user on X, the same day ASRock also launched an 8GB version of the RX 9050.

Does it make sense to buy a graphics card with just 4GB of VRAM? According to the specs on ASRock's website, the 4GB version of the RX 9050 is built on AMD's RDNA 4 architecture and has a 64-bit memory interface, 16 compute units, and a boost clock speed of up to 2,600MHz / 18GBps. That should be enough to enable new features like FSR 4, …

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This is my new favorite laptop, but thanks to RAMageddon the price already went up by $800

2026-07-27T18:36:47-04:00

Framework’s Laptop 13 Pro looks great in black but costs lots of green. | Photo: Antonio G. Di Benedetto / The Verge

Framework laptops always come with compromises in exchange for their unique DIY premise. Even though you pay extra for one compared to sleeker options from competitors, it's easier to excuse minor flaws for modular ports, easy repairs, and an impressive range of upgradeable parts. So what happens when Framework goes "Pro"? We get a one-of-a-kind jewel among notebooks.

The 13 Pro corrects and improves many shortcomings of the regular Laptop 13. It has a bright and sharp touchscreen, the best haptic trackpad not made by Apple, and an impeccable build and feel. Take all that and marry it to a great Intel chip and cutting-edge user-replaceable …

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Chinese RAM company CXMT makes a $484 billion stock market debut

2026-07-27T10:27:57-04:00

The China-based memory firm ChangXin Memory Technologies (CXMT) had a massive first day on the Shanghai stock exchange after its shares surged 466 percent, as reported earlier by The Wall Street Journal and CNBC. The stock market frenzy boosted CXMT's valuation to $484 billion, making it the most valuable Chinese company listed on the exchange.

CXMT looks to challenge Samsung, Micron, and SK Hynix, which currently control the majority of the global memory market. But with demand from data-hungry AI giants straining the memory industry, device makers are searching for alternatives to keep costs low.

A recent report from the Financial Times …

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Google basically confirms the Pixel 11 is getting a price hike

2026-07-27T05:27:44-04:00

Google's vice president of devices and services, Shakil Barkat, all but confirmed in an interview with 9to5 Google that its next Pixel phone would cost more than the Pixel 10. Considering the ongoing RAM supply issues due to the explosion of AI data centers, the rumored price hike is not a complete surprise. Companies from Apple to Nintendo and Microsoft to Roku have all raised their prices in response to the soaring cost of memory.

Barkat said that Google had "shielded our consumers from supply fluctuations for as long as possible," but that the "economics have fundamentally shifted and we're not immune to that." He went on to tell 9to5 th …

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Qualcomm is about to raise prices and that’s bad news for everyone

2026-07-24T15:23:53-04:00

Qualcomm sent a letter to customers on Friday warning of plans to increase its prices by "a percentage in the double digits," Bloomberg reports. The price hikes will go into effect starting with products shipped after September 1st.

Qualcomm claims it has "exhausted its ability to absorb higher costs from suppliers," as ongoing component shortages continue to drive up prices. The company also said it attempted to source components from alternate suppliers prior to announcing the price hikes.

As Bloomberg notes, Qualcomm's price increases will likely have a ripple effect, particularly for smartphones. Qualcomm's chips power everything fro …

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Roku raises streaming hardware prices by up to $50

2026-07-24T14:07:19-04:00

The Roku Ultra. | Image: Roku

Roku has increased prices across its streaming hardware, with the cheapest HD Streaming Stick now priced at $39.99 instead of $29.99, as first reported by The Desk. The price hike affects all of Roku's other devices as well, with some increasing by as much as $50. Here's a rundown of the changes:

Streaming Stick: $29.99 to $39.99
Streaming Stick Plus: $39.99 to $59.99
Streaming Stick 4K: $49.99 to $79.99
Roku Ultra: $99.99 to $149.99
Roku Streambar SE: $99.99 to $149.99

Roku is currently holding a sale that puts some devices at their original prices, which you can see on this archived web page. Fox announced plans to acquire …

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Framework’s premium laptop is shipping with less RAM

2026-07-23T08:02:58-04:00

The Framework Laptop 13 Pro configuration you wanted may not be available for a while. | Image: Framework

RAMageddon has claimed yet another victim, with Framework now announcing a "major and unfortunate" pricing update for its upcoming premium laptop - which also impacts folks who preordered it. Memory configurations for the Laptop 13 Pro have been adjusted after Framework says it received cost updates from its memory supplier that "are more than double that of the prior inventory."

While Framework says it has enough LPCAMM2 memory modules on hand to cover all existing preorders, they're not the right mix of 64GB, 32GB, and 16GB modules to match all preorder configurations. The company is now notifying some customers that the memory configurat …

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Even Microsoft couldn’t make Windows 11 work well on 8GB of RAM

2026-07-17T10:40:04-04:00

Memory anxiety. | Photo: Antonio G. Di Benedetto / The Verge

Last year, Microsoft's 13-inch Surface Laptop quickly became one of my favorite thin-and-light Windows notebooks. At $900, it was easy to recommend to anyone wanting MacBook Air-like build quality and battery life on Windows - I even convinced my sister to buy one on sale.

But that was last year. This year, thanks to RAMageddon, that same laptop costs $950, and now that price gets you half as much RAM - just 8GB. It's the same great hardware on the outside, but it's not the same laptop on the inside.

It's been a long time since we tested a Windows laptop with so little RAM. We've been saying for years that 8GB isn't enough. But this is Mi …

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