If you have shopped for memory lately, you have probably noticed prices climbing. A global RAM shortage has been building through 2026, driven largely by chipmakers shifting production capacity toward AI server memory instead of the everyday DDR4 and DDR5 modules that go into laptops and desktops. The result: tighter supply, higher prices, and longer waits on some memory kits industry-wide.
For anyone running an older laptop, this makes the case for upgrading now rather than later. A RAM upgrade is still one of the cheapest ways to extend a laptop’s working life, and locking in a module before prices climb further is a smart move. We stock a wide range of laptop SODIMM memory, including the DATO 16GB DDR4 3200MHz SODIMM for everyday multitasking and the newer Kingspec 8GB DDR5 4800MHz SODIMM for machines that support the faster standard.
DDR6 is coming, but not yet
Hardware outlets have reported that DDR6 memory is expected to start appearing in niche systems later this year, promising roughly double the bandwidth of DDR5. It is early days, DDR6 modules will not be common or affordable for standard laptops for a while yet, and most current-generation notebooks are not built to support it. If your laptop takes DDR4 or DDR5 today, upgrading within that standard remains the practical option.
The AI-PC wave is changing what “enough RAM” means
At Computex 2026, Nvidia introduced its RTX Spark platform for Windows laptops, pairing a multi-core Arm CPU with a Blackwell GPU and up to 128GB of unified memory, aimed at running AI workloads directly on the device. Laptop makers including Asus, Dell, HP, Lenovo, and MSI are lining up models for release later this year. Even if you are not buying an AI-focused machine, this trend is pushing software (and expectations) toward wanting more memory than laptops shipped with just a couple of years ago. An 8GB laptop that felt adequate in 2022 is increasingly the bottleneck in 2026.
What we would suggest
- Check your laptop’s maximum supported RAM and current module count before buying, we are happy to help you confirm compatibility.
- If you are on 8GB and doing more than basic browsing, 16GB is now a sensible baseline.
- Buy sooner rather than later. With supply tightening, prices are more likely to rise than fall over the next few months.
Browse our full range of laptop memory and laptop spares, or get in touch if you are not sure which module fits your model, we are glad to check it for you before you order.
