The new year is here, bringing with it new resolutions and wishes. It's common to join a gym... only to quit by February, but this is a time when we tend to reflect on things. One of those reflections might be looking to the future and considering... upgrade a computer systemBut be warned: prices can be, and will be, a problem. There will be component shortages, and as happened during the pandemic with hardware like the Raspberry Pi, their cost will be higher.
Whose fault is this increase? Yours. And mine. Everyone's. Basically, everyone who has allowed AI (or Machine Learning with good marketingIt goes up so much. Depending on how you look at it, we could be responsible, or We can directly blame artificial intelligenceIn any case, we should think twice if we want to buy computer equipment in 2026 and perhaps even later.
Why is the computer equipment I want more expensive?
To understand what's happening and what's coming, we need to look back a bit. At the end of 2022, with the arrival of ChatGPTThe real turning point came in 2023. The situation exploded: more models and assistants arrived, and image generation became widespread. AI ceased to be a technical curiosity and became a reality. mass-market product.
If you look at any NVIDIA (NVDA) stock chart from the last five years (you'll see) DuckDuckGo), you'll see that the steep increase starts right there. And no, GPUs aren't just for rendering graphics: they're ideal for massive computing loads, just what AI needs.
GPU, RAM and SSD: the problem trio
Artificial intelligence models don't exist in a vacuum. They need:
- GPU for the calculation
- RAM to handle large volumes of data
- SSD to store datasets and models
Companies like OpenAI, Google, and Microsoft are buying enormous quantities of these components for their data centers. The result is simple: Less stock for the general market and rising prices.
Even mobile phones are starting to notice it
The situation is reaching a curious point: Some smartphone manufacturers are considering using less RAM in future models. Mobile phones are already expensive, and raising the price without offering visible improvements is commercial suicide. If this happens in a market as competitive as mobile, imagine what will happen in the PC market.
And what about Steam Machine and Linux?
There's more uncertainty here. Regarding the Steam Machine, some say Valve bought components before the boom, eliminating or mitigating the price increase. And even if that weren't the case, Buying millions of units allows you to negotiate discountsIn the worst-case scenario, a Machine could rise between 50 and 100 €Valve, moreover, can absorb some of the impact. It's not guaranteed, but it's possible.
The case is different other computers with LinuxManufacturers that sell laptops with Linux pre-installed usually work with small volumesThere's no room to negotiate prices. That's where the price increase can be more noticeable, just like it is for everyone else.
Want your next computer to be cheaper? Help burst the bubble.
If we want prices to go down, there is a solution that is as simple as it is inconvenient: Stop using AI for everythingI verified this myself by testing Easy Diffusion locally: generating mediocre images was already making my laptop sweat. This year I congratulated acquaintances with a handmade image (jokingly saying it had taken me a lot of work), precisely to emphasize that I hadn't used AI.
The bubble will eventually burst… or stabilize. In either case, prices should normalize over time. But all indications are that 2026 won't be that year. So be careful what you buy… and when you buy it.