(Fire fighters working to extinguish the dumpster containing the global computer hardware market)
In one form or another, the Logical Increments PC Buying Guide has existed for approximately 17 years now, which is quite a span. During this time, we have maintained a policy of never venturing outside the very strict scope of the guide: Consumer PC hardware. The only times that this rule was broken was when there was simply no alternative. PC hardware exists in real life, and real life sometimes throws the world into situations where PC hardware is affected, and we must acknowledge these situations.
We discussed the cryptocurrency hurricanes when they were the biggest determinant of GPU prices, and we acknowledged the *cough* global situation *cough* in 2020-2021 when it affected shipping and availability of all PC hardware.
As we head into the second quarter of 2026, we face some unavoidable and uneasy realities once more. There are two issues that are pointing towards dire times ahead:
1: Artificial Intelligence
AI, in the form of LLMs such as ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini, is currently enjoying the same status smartphones enjoyed in the 2010-2015 era. While the pushing of generative AI’s visual output and AI functionality into software, advertising, entertainment, and artistic projects is facing significant public backlash under the heading of ‘slop,’ the text-generation form of the technology (LLMs) is seeing rapid, wide adoption. Consumer-friendly, trendy, cool, and hip would be words that I would use to describe these LLMs; but I am going to go ahead and use the stones to destroy the stones, by asking Gemini for assistance. Please hold, I will be right back.
As I was saying, AI has accumulated very large quantities of… aura? Many would say that the usage of such AI is peak or has the Dub, but I feel it is is not yet at its peak; AI is still growing. AI, like smartphones in their time, is probably being overhyped and overestimated, though its usefulness is still valid.
In time, the hype will slow down, and people will see the limits of AI, decelerating AI’s motion to more reasonable levels (albeit potentially tearing down a large chunk of the global economy in the process). For now though, AI is secure in its position, and exhibiting all the characteristics of a child’s favourite toy, which always gets priority when it comes to fresh batteries.
So why is AI’s popularity wreaking havoc on PC hardware? AI’s backend uses gargantuan quantities of RAM, and AI companies are buying up RAM wherever they can find it. This is such a problem that RAM prices have quadrupled in the last 6-8 months, and RAM manufacturing capacity is sold out, and is expected to remain in crysis-mode for four more years.
Do not think that RAM prices alone will go up. RAM-making companies are almost always SSD-making companies, and companies will focus on what makes profit. AI wants tonnes of RAM, and it also wants fast SSDs. AI companies have already done a massive buy-up of GPUs as well, although the demand there could potentially rise again in the future… Why couldn’t we just get the real Will Smith to eat spaghetti on camera and skip all this?
2: The Wars
In the last few years, the horror of war has visited multiple places on our planet. In the last few weeks, this has escalated further, and no end is in sight.
If you wish to go into detail, this AP news article is quite informative as to why war is expected to have an impact on the tech sector, which includes PC parts.
This section is brief out of respect for the solemnity of the situation.
The Near and Midterm Future
PC part prices have risen, and are expected to rise further. Some issues are expected to take years to resolve. The resolution for some other issues will take an unknown time, as these issues are currently ongoing. The near and mid-term future of PC hardware does not look good.
If your memory is sharp, you might recall that there were times during the pandemic when things got so bad that PC hardware was not available at any price. While it is hoped that such times will not come again, the future usually mirrors the past. If you need hardware soon, get it now. If your hardware is good, take good care of it. Hard times are upon us.
Oh, and there have been no proper PC hardware launches for several months now. The latest is the R7 9850X3D from AMD. You would think that the launch of the best gaming CPU would get something more than five short sentences, but it won’t. The best gaming CPU was the R7 9800X3D; now that has been replaced by the R7 9850X3D, which is very slightly better but practically speaking identical.