ASUS To Raise PC Prices Over Surging RAM And Storage Costs

Dell raised its prices by roughly 10-30% on December 17th, and ASUS will be following suit on January 5th, per a report from TrendForce. As the report notes, this is not an unexpected move—and previous statements from Acer and ASUS indicate that "passing on soaring memory costs has become an industry-wide consensus". It's not just PC makers, either. AMD has already warned its AIB partners to raise prices for their GPUs as well, and other component and device makers will most likely have to follow suit as well.

It's a disappointing turn of events, but not a surprising one. With no apparent end in sight for the memory shortage, we may  see further hikes in pricing later in 2026 and beyond, but hopefully prices don't get substantially worse than they already are. If they do, widespread delays and difficulties in the DIY market are to be expected. The PlayStation 6 and the next Xbox are already expected to be delayed by the RAM shortage, and the Steam Machine's still-vague release date and price point are likely a result of the current market situation as well.

Other changes anticipated by the TrendForce report include cuts to entry-level and consumer PCs, especially notebooks. Specifications will shift downward and sales will likely suffer as consumers with the smallest budgets are priced out of the market. Upgrade cycles will likely be extended as well, as consumers and enterprise customers looks to get the most out of their current systems.

According to ASUS Co-CEO Samsun Hu speaking to Commercial Times, memory prices are unlikely to ease before the first half of next year and ASUS plans to dynamically adjust its product mix, specifications, and pricing based on market conditions, channel demand, and consumer needs, "taking action at the most strategic moment". It will be very interesting to see how ASUS and other PC makers weather this storm.