Update April 2026: The situation on the hardware market has shifted dramatically since the beginning of the year. DRAM and NAND prices are exploding, hard drives are completely sold out for 2026, and the budget PC market is dying. AI demand is consuming everything.
RAM (DDR5) ↑↑ Massive Price Increase
The situation has completely reversed. According to Gartner, DRAM and NAND flash for PCs and smartphones are heading for another price increase of up to 130 percent by the end of 2026 — in addition to the 40 to 70 percent increase from 2025. Some memory types have doubled to quadrupled since last year.
HP confirmed in its Q1 2026 results: DRAM now accounts for 35 percent of PC manufacturing costs, compared to 15 to 18 percent in the previous quarter. The share continues to rise.
Cause: Memory manufacturers are prioritizing HBM (High Bandwidth Memory) and server DRAM for AI data centers. Consumer DRAM is less profitable and is being served as a lower priority. Microsoft requires at least 16 GB for Copilot+ PCs, Gartner recommends 32 GB for new enterprise PCs.
Consequence: The budget PC under 500 euros is dying. Manufacturers can no longer build a profitable entry-level device at these prices. Gartner analyst Ranjit Atwal: "Vendors lose the ability to provide entry-level PCs — those below about $500."
GPU ↑ New Generation Scarce, Old Generation Falling
| GPU | Price Q1 2026 | Availability | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|
| NVIDIA RTX 5090 | ~2,200 EUR | Scarce, markups | ↑ above MSRP |
| NVIDIA RTX 5080 | ~1,100 EUR | Better available | → stable |
| NVIDIA RTX 4090 | 1,500–1,600 EUR | Good used market | ↓ falling |
| AMD RX 9070 XT | ~650 EUR | Available | → stable |
| NVIDIA A6000 / H100 | Stable | 4–8 weeks | → stable |
The RTX 5090 is the new flagship and correspondingly sought after. Scalpers and high demand drive the street price above MSRP. The RTX 5080 is the better value proposition and is now widely available. AMD's RX 9070 XT is the budget alternative with solid rasterization performance, but still weaker raytracing and no DLSS equivalent at NVIDIA level.
In the professional segment, A6000 and H100 remain stable in price, but delivery times of 4 to 8 weeks show the persistently high demand for AI workloads.
Recommendation: RTX 5080 is the sweet spot for enthusiasts. RTX 4090 used is a good deal for production workloads (3D, local AI). Only buy RTX 5090 if available at MSRP. AMD RX 9070 XT for pure gaming builds under 700 EUR.
SSD / HDD ↓ SSDs Historically Cheap
| Storage | Price Q1 2026 | Trend |
|---|---|---|
| NVMe 2TB (Gen4) | 100–120 EUR | ↓ historically cheap |
| NVMe 2TB (Gen5) | 180–220 EUR | ↓ falling |
| HDD 18TB NAS | 280–320 EUR | → stable |
| Enterprise NVMe 3.84TB | 450–550 EUR | ↓ slightly falling |
SSD prices are also rising, though less dramatically than DRAM. The NAND overproduction from 2024 has been depleted. Sony has completely stopped orders for CFexpress and SD memory cards because flash chips are no longer obtainable — chipmakers are delivering to enterprise SSD manufacturers for AI servers.
HDD: Completely Sold Out for 2026
The biggest surprise: hard drives are sold out for the entire calendar year 2026. Seagate and Western Digital have already sold their entire production to hyperscalers (AWS, Google, Microsoft).
Western Digital CEO Tiang Yew Tan: "We're pretty much sold out for calendar '26. We have firm purchase orders with our top seven customers." Seagate CEO Dave Mosley: "Our nearline capacity is fully allocated through calendar year 2026."
Both manufacturers are already taking orders for 2027 and 2028. For companies outside the hyperscaler group, this means: no new hard drives in 2026, except through remaining stock or the used market.
Overall Picture Q1 2026
The hardware market is no longer divided — it is one-sided. AI infrastructure is consuming everything: DRAM, NAND, hard drives, GPUs. Consumer products are becoming a by-product. The PC market in the US is shrinking by 13 percent according to Omdia. Gartner expects over 10 percent worldwide.
Anyone who needs to buy hardware now is paying significantly more than 6 months ago. Those who can wait — the situation will ease at the earliest in 2027, when Samsung and SK Hynix ramp up their capacity expansions in China.
Sources: Gartner (February 2026), The Register (26.02./30.03.2026), HP Q1 FY2026 Earnings, Seagate and Western Digital Earnings Calls, Omdia, Blocks & Files, South China Morning Post.