'This year is the most challenging year since the company was founded': MSI exec makes it clear how bad the RAM crisis has got, despite some prices plateauing

Date:
Wed, 18 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Description:
RAM prices might be steadying, but the knock-on effects are still nasty as
MSI reportedly cuts back on budget laptops.

FULL STORY ======================================================================Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Reddit Pinterest Flipboard Threads Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Tech Radar Get the TechRadar Newsletter Sign up for
breaking news, reviews, opinion, top tech deals, and more. Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. You are
now subscribed Your newsletter sign-up was successful An account already exists for this email address, please log in. Subscribe to our newsletter MSI's general manager has called 2026 the "most challenging year since the company was founded" The RAM crisis is hitting the laptop maker hard, and
it's cutting back on production of low-end notebooks by 30% as a result There is brighter news elsewhere as DDR5 RAM prices are seemingly dropping in
Europe but not by that much The RAM crisis is again exerting unwanted pressures on the broader PC market, even while some slightly more optimistic news has reached us on memory pricing over in Europe.

The dose of pessimism comes from MSI , which is going to jack up the prices
of its 'gaming products' in the order of 15% to 30% this year. This is according to general manager Huang Jinqing on a recent earnings call, as per
a report from Taiwan's United Daily News (via Tom's Hardware ). The increases are driven by the RAM shortage, and also problems with GPU supply from Nvidia
we're told there's a 20% shortfall in securing stock of the latter. Article continues below You may like HP admits RAM crisis means memory now consumes 35% of total cost of its PCs RAM crisis gets worse as DDR5 hits a new high
and worrying trend creeps in Analyst firm warns of 'unprecedented and record-breaking surge' in RAM cost

The result is that MSI will cut back on its low-end gaming laptops to the
tune of 30%, so it can focus more on mid-range and higher-end PCs. The simple equation to keep revenue flowing is selling fewer devices at higher prices.

Huang said the PC industry is facing severe challenges, and that: "This year is the most challenging year since the company was founded" (text translated from Chinese).

On top of the shifting priorities with laptops, MSI is switching its motherboards to favor models supporting DDR4 memory. Whereas previously four times as many DDR5 motherboards were shipped versus DDR4, that situation has reversed completely, so the older standard is now coming off production lines in fourfold compared to the quantities of DDR5 boards. That's quite a remarkable turnaround. Analysis: tough times despite some sparks of hope (Image credit: Shutterstock / LightField Studios) As noted at the outset, VideoCardz noticed another update from German tech site 3D Center , which keeps tabs on RAM pricing over in Germany, and observes that the price of
DDR5 memory dropped by around 7% in March compared to February. Get daily insight, inspiration and deals in your inbox Sign up for breaking news, reviews, opinion, top tech deals, and more. Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

So that sounds quite positive, and it echoes other observations from the European market last month, too. However, lest we get carried away, remember that DDR5 RAM is still quadruple what it cost compared to the price in September 2025, according to 3D Center's price watching. It's just that it
has dropped back a little, after plateauing from January to February this year.

Obviously, it's good to witness any kind of downward correction or indeed just to see that RAM pricing isn't going up but there is, of course, a limit to how much prices will rise before most consumers throw their hands up in
the air and (rightly) just refuse to buy. Unless they have absolutely no choice, that is.

And elsewhere, we're hearing gloomier news on RAM hikes , and as MSI makes clear, all this and related supply issues around video memory for GPUs is making life very difficult for PC manufacturers (or indeed those building themselves a new computer ). We've already heard as much from the likes of HP and other big laptop makers, of course. What to read next RAM crisis shows signs of easing as DDR5 prices drop but there's a catch Zotac warns that graphics card makers could be wiped out by RAM crisis RAM crisis could mean the sub-$500 PC market will 'disappear by 2028'

However, to call 2026 the "most challenging year" is quite a statement, considering that the pandemic in 2020 was a very tough time for the market (and it isn't the first time we've heard this sentiment in the tech industry this year).

Huang is predicting a 10% to 20% decline in PC sales this year, whereas analyst firms are pitching their estimations at a 10% drop for 2026. That's the best-case scenario as far as MSI's general manager is concerned, which is troubling to say the least, as is the fact that the budget end of the PC market is going to be hit hardest. The best laptops for all budgets Our top picks, based on real-world testing and comparisons

Read our full guide to the best laptops 1. Best overall: Apple MacBook Air 13-inch M4 2. Best budget: Asus Chromebook CM14 3. Best Windows 11 laptop Microsoft Surface Laptop 13-inch 4. Best gaming: Razer Blade 16 5. Best for pros MacBook Pro 16-inch (M4 Pro) Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews, and opinion in your feeds. Make sure to click the Follow button!

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