The memory price hike isn't over yet! Analysts predict a further 13%–18% increase in PC memory prices in the fourth quarter

According to the latest memory industry research report released by TrendForce on November 12, due to the demand for AI servers and capacity adjustments by memory manufacturers, contract prices for PC memory and solid-state drives are expected to continue rising in the fourth quarter of 2026. Specifically, PC DRAM prices are projected to increase by 13% to 18% quarter-over-quarter, while consumer-grade SSD prices are expected to rise by 0% to 5%. Both increases are narrower compared to the previous quarter.

TrendForce pointed out that global memory prices have been rising continuously for over a year, and PC manufacturers are facing increasing cost pressures. In response to the rise in memory prices, some computer manufacturers had previously moved their procurement and production plans forward to the first half of 2026. However, as the selling prices of complete systems increased, end-user sales in Asian and European markets were affected, and inventories at manufacturers and distributors gradually increased.

Data shows that laptop shipments in the third quarter of 2026 declined by 15.8% quarter-on-quarter, and a single-digit percentage decline is still expected in the fourth quarter. Some PC manufacturers have already begun to adjust their memory procurement plans for the fourth quarter of 2026 and even the first quarter of 2027.

Specifically, although the PC DRAM market has been affected by factors such as weak end-user demand and increased inventory among manufacturers, major memory manufacturers have already made preliminary plans to further reduce PC DRAM supply in 2027 due to AI-related applications continuing to occupy storage capacity.

Against the backdrop of tightening supply, TrendForce expects PC DRAM contract prices to continue to rise by 13%–18% quarter-on-quarter in the fourth quarter of 2026. However, this represents a slowdown compared to the 18%–23% increase seen in the third quarter.

The changes in the consumer-grade SSD market are even more pronounced. As rising prices of components such as CPUs and memory have pushed up the overall material costs of complete systems, PC manufacturers have begun to strictly control their SSD procurement expenditures and resist suppliers' continued price increases.

Amid weak end-user demand and high inventory levels of complete units, PC brand manufacturers generally reduced their Client SSD procurement volumes in the fourth quarter, maintaining only the order volumes necessary for basic production. Some manufacturers also lowered their procurement plans for the first quarter of 2027.

At the same time, memory manufacturers are still shifting more capacity to AI servers and enterprise-grade storage products, and are reducing related demand by raising prices for low-capacity SSDs. However, supplier competition in the mainstream capacity SSD market has also limited the overall price increase to some extent.

Source: MyDrivers (Fast Technology). Content is presented with source attribution. Read the original report.