RAM Now Eats 35% of HP's PC Build Costs — Double Last Quarter
HP reveals memory costs have roughly doubled as a share of PC materials, with no relief expected through 2026.
Memory is devouring HP's PC budget. The company disclosed that RAM now represents 35% of its bill of materials for building PCs — a massive jump from the 15-18% range it sat at in Q4 2025.
That's not a typo. In roughly one quarter, memory's share of total component costs nearly doubled.
And it's not slowing down. HP expects RAM to claim an even larger slice through 2026, squeezing margins on hardware that already operates on razor-thin profits.
The surge signals broader pressure across the PC industry. As AI workloads demand more memory and DRAM pricing tightens, every PC maker is feeling the pinch — HP is just saying the quiet part out loud.
For consumers, the math is simple: PCs are getting more expensive to build, and someone's going to foot that bill.