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Tom’s Guide
Tom’s Guide
Technology
Tony Polanco

Buying a laptop in 2026 is complicated — here's a survival guide to help you make the best choice

Tom Guide Memory Windows Apple
A man frowning and gesturing in a frustrated manner at his laptop.

During normal times, if you wanted a new laptop, you’d just buy one. But we’re no longer living in normal times. Thanks to the RAM crisis, laptop and upgrade prices have gone completely sideways.

AI data centers are gobbling up so much memory that everyday laptop RAM has doubled, tripled, or even worsened in some cases. Upgrading your own RAM isn’t cheap either. DDR5 kits that cost $100–$150 last year now run $300–$400 or more. And manufacturers are passing those extra costs straight on to you and me. Overall, PC prices are up 15-20% on average, with some popular models jumping 30-40%.

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