The RAM Shortage Impact Is Spreading... - Tech News Feb 8

Why It Matters

Rising memory and commodity costs plus constrained supply are likely to raise system prices, delay new hardware cycles, and shift vendor focus toward enterprise segments, squeezing consumer PC buyers and reshaping competitive dynamics in GPUs and system builds.

Summary

A severe global memory shortage is rippling through the PC industry, with Counterpoint warning of 80–90% RAM price increases from Q4 2025 to Q1 2026 and major OEMs scrambling for supply. Manufacturers including HP, Dell, Acer and Asus have turned to Chinese fabricator CXMT as parts tighten, and component cost pressures and raw-material spikes are forcing higher system pricing. The shortage has delayed or imperiled high-profile launches: Valve pushed its Steam Machine and VR headset launch window, Nvidia reportedly shelved gamer-focused RTX 50/60 rollouts for 2026, and Intel appears to have mothballed the ARC B770 in favor of higher-margin professional GPUs. Amid the pain, some firms and integrators are reporting product-reliability data and exploring alternatives, but widespread consumer PC affordability and launch timelines remain highly uncertain.

Original Description

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► TIMESTAMPS

0:00 Welcome to Paul’s Tech News - February 8, 2026

1:52 RAM and Raw Material Prices Go Up More, Chinese Memory Option In Play

3:37 Valve delays Steam Frame and Steam Machine due to RAM shortage

4:43 Nvidia RTX 50 SUPER pushed back, RTX 60 mass production not til 2028

5:50 Intel Arc B770 May Not Launch At All

6:42 Intel ties AMD for most reliable CPUs in 2025 (per Puget Systems)

8:18 Nvidia's plan to invest up to $100 billion in OpenAI has stalled

9:44 Firefox is adding a switch to turn AI features off

10:55 WD's new HDD tech promises 'flash-like' performance

12:07 No generative AI in GTA 6, but AI tools are “speeding up production”

► LINKS

RAM and Raw Material Prices Go Up More, Chinese Memory Option In Play

https://www.techradar.com/computing/memory/more-ram-misery-the-bad-news-keeps-coming-as-analyst-firm-warns-of-an-unprecedented-and-record-breaking-surge-with-price-hikes

https://counterpointresearch.com/en/insights/Memory-Prices-Surge-Up-to-90-From-Q4-2025

https://www.tomshardware.com/pc-components/cpus/amd-ceo-downplays-pc-memory-crunch-saying-our-focus-areas-are-enterprise-company-wants-to-focus-on-growing-higher-end-of-the-market

https://wccftech.com/amd-prepares-to-battle-pc-market-uncertainty-but-ceo-says-the-focus-will-stay-on-enterprise/

https://wccftech.com/major-pc-manufacturers-are-surprisingly-exploring-integrating-chinese-memory-into-their-products/

https://www.digitimes.com/news/a20260204PD210/market-dram-nand-cxmt-ddr4.html

https://videocardz.com/newz/alphacool-to-raise-prices-5-to-10-by-end-of-february-on-rising-copper-costs-be-quiet-also-warns-of-raw-material-pressure

Valve delays Steam Frame and Steam Machine due to RAM shortage

https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2026/02/ram-shortage-delays-valves-steam-machine-desktop-and-steam-frame-headset/

https://store.steampowered.com/news/group/45479024

https://www.tomshardware.com/pc-components/ssds/pc-vendor-warns-of-upcoming-price-hikes-due-to-ssd-and-memory-volatility-powergpu-to-pass-costs-to-customers-once-existing-inventory-depletes

Nvidia RTX 50 SUPER pushed back, RTX 60 mass production could move to 2028

https://videocardz.com/newz/nvidia-geforce-rtx-50-super-pushed-back-rtx-60-mass-production-could-move-to-2028

https://www.reddit.com/r/nvidia/comments/1qwp4t0/the_information_nvidia_to_delay_new_gaming_chip/

https://www.theinformation.com/articles/nvidia-delay-new-gaming-chip-due-memory-chip-shortage

Intel Arc B770 May Not Launch At All

https://www.xda-developers.com/intel-arc-b770-is-dead-long-live-arc-b770/

https://wccftech.com/intel-arc-b770-may-not-launch-while-the-arc-pro-b70-is-supposedly-launching-this-quarter/

Intel ties AMD for most reliable CPUs in 2025 (per Puget Systems)

https://www.pugetsystems.com/labs/articles/puget-systems-most-reliable-hardware-of-2025/

https://www.tomshardware.com/pc-components/cpus/intel-ties-amd-for-most-reliable-cpus-in-2025-system-builder-report-nvidias-founders-edition-gpus-dominate-with-the-lowest-failure-rates

https://wccftech.com/after-ryzen-9800x3d-several-reports-of-dead-ryzen-9600x-on-asrock-motherboards-surface-online/

Nvidia's plan to invest up to $100 billion in OpenAI has stalled

https://www.reuters.com/business/nvidias-plan-invest-up-100-billion-openai-has-stalled-wsj-reports-2026-01-31/

https://www.wsj.com/tech/ai/the-100-billion-megadeal-between-openai-and-nvidia-is-on-ice-aa3025e3

https://www.cnbc.com/2026/02/02/nvidia-stock-price-openai-funding.html

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/openai-investment-never-commitment-nvidia-100650678.html

https://wccftech.com/nvidia-dinner-with-taiwanese-partners-shows-us-why-jensen-will-always-remain-one-step-ahead/

https://techcrunch.com/2026/01/31/nvidia-ceo-pushes-back-against-report-that-his-companys-100b-openai-investment-has-stalled/

Firefox is adding a switch to turn AI features off

https://www.theverge.com/news/872489/mozilla-firefox-ai-features-off-button

https://blog.mozilla.org/en/firefox/ai-controls/

WD's new HDD tech promises 'flash-like' performance

https://www.pcgamer.com/hardware/memory/wds-new-hdd-tech-promises-flash-like-performance-and-just-maybe-a-way-out-of-the-dreaded-memory-supply-crisis/

https://blog.westerndigital.com/performance-optimized-hdd-4x-throughput-hbdt-dual-pivot/

No generative AI in GTA 6, but AI tools are speeding up production

https://videocardz.com/newz/take-two-ceo-no-generative-ai-in-gta-6-but-ai-tools-are-speeding-up-production

https://www.gamespot.com/articles/why-did-rockstar-delay-gta-6/1100-6536423/

https://www.ign.com/articles/gta-6-is-delayed-again-until-november-2026

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