Is PC Building Dead? - Probing Paul #100

Why It Matters

Rising memory and raw-material costs threaten higher prices across PCs, laptops and embedded devices, squeezing consumers and OEM margins while accelerating industry investment in long-lead capacity—changes that will reshape supply chains and buying behavior over the next several years.

Summary

In his 100th Probing Paul episode, Paul warns that the PC-building landscape could worsen in 2026 as contract memory prices surge—DRAM up roughly 90–95% quarter-on-quarter and NAND up 55–60%—driven by AI and data-center demand. He notes immediate knock-on effects at retail and in adjacent products, citing steep Raspberry Pi price hikes and rising copper costs that increase manufacturing pressure. While some DDR5 retail prices show signs of stabilizing and more suppliers may invest in capacity, new fabs take years to come online. Paul also points to a likely shift toward used hardware, recycling and upcycling as consumers seek affordable options.

Original Description

Is PC Building Dead? - Probing Paul #100

▷ MY STORE - shirts, pint glasses & hoodies: http://paulshardware.net

► TIMESTAMPS

0:00 Welcome to Probing Paul #100

1:07 Pre-Probing Notes

1:27 Has PC Building hit rock bottom? How much worse can it get?

6:33 Is it a problem to connect M.2 drives to chipset-supported slots?

10:29 Does ASUS own AsRock?

13:17 How do I get on Mail Time?

14:11 Did you know this fun fact about Vermont?

► LINKS

My Wrist Rest (a regular question I get) - https://geni.us/xuUD4Rw

Probing Paul Playlist - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mkwkx5E21fo&list=PLRnHcRQUxuoeoGY_iOR-Jw_Fk2ak7ITas&index=1

https://www.trendforce.com/presscenter/news/20260202-12911.html

https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2026/02/ongoing-ram-crisis-prompts-raspberry-pis-second-price-hike-in-two-months/

https://www.pcgamer.com/hardware/memory/oh-great-now-copper-prices-are-surging-and-threatening-to-make-pc-hardware-even-more-expensive/

https://www.tomshardware.com/pc-components/ddr5/ddr5-ram-begins-to-stabilize-in-germany-january-saw-only-a-0-1-percent-increase-in-pricing-across-the-month-some-kits-even-saw-price-cuts-as-volatility-begins-to-plateau

https://www.msi.com/blog/pcie-lane-bifurcation-and-bandwidth-sharing-on-msi-x870e-x870-motherboards

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ASRock

https://www.legitreviews.com/asus-to-gradually-reduce-holdings-in-pegatron-technology_12747

https://matrixbcg.com/blogs/owners/pegatroncorp

https://www.asus.com/ea/About_ASUS/The-Meaning-of-ASUS/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cornish%E2%80%93Windsor_Covered_Bridge

January Build - https://youtu.be/aSp34Q9k7PA

Please note that links above may be affiliate links -- if you click them and make a qualifying purchase I earn a commission.

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► Edited by Joe Aguilar - ShaostylePostProductions

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Audio file(s) provided by Epidemic Sound

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