Asus has announced significant price increases for select SSDs and DRAM kits, effective January 5, 2026. The Taiwanese technology company cites escalating costs for memory chips and a tightening supply chain as key factors in this decision. This move reflects ongoing challenges within the hardware market, characterized by increased demand and limited availability.
The price adjustments come amid a broader trend that has already seen other manufacturers, such as Dell, implement price hikes of up to 30 percent in mid-December 2025. Asus, while raising its prices, plans to expand the production of motherboards for DDR4 memory, aiming to provide more affordable alternatives to the pricier DDR5 standard. Despite speculation, Asus has denied any intentions to enter RAM production.
The semiconductor industry has experienced substantial disruptions, primarily attributed to shifts in production capacity towards High Bandwidth Memory (HBM) due to rising demand for AI technologies. These changes have created bottlenecks in traditional DRAM and NAND flash supply, leading to increased costs. According to Asus, the company has carefully evaluated market conditions, supply stability, and its commitment to product quality before making these strategic price adjustments.
As stated by Asus, “This adjustment is a necessary decision after absorbing and responding to cost pressures over a period of time. The aim is to ensure stable supply, maintain quality and service levels, and continue to support long-term planning for important IT investments.”
The ramifications of these price increases extend beyond Asus. A report from the market research firm TrendForce indicated that memory chip prices surged significantly last year, with DRAM components rising by as much as 171 percent and NAND flash prices increasing by up to 246 percent. Memory now constitutes nearly 20 percent of the total material costs for a personal computer. This dramatic rise in prices has prompted TrendForce to lower its forecasts for notebook shipments in 2026, predicting a decline of 5.4 to 10.1 percent compared to the previous year.
Consumers will likely face higher costs for both new purchases and upgrades in the foreseeable future, with relief not expected until at least the second half of 2026. In response to the increased prices, many PC users are reverting to older generations of hardware to avoid the higher costs associated with DDR5 memory and current PCIe 5.0 SSDs. For instance, processors from the Zen 3 generation, such as the AMD Ryzen 7 5800X, are regaining popularity due to their favorable price-performance ratio.
This shift in consumer preference is also impacting the second-hand market, where used Ryzen 7 5800X3D models sometimes command higher prices than newer offerings like the Ryzen 7 9800X3D. Furthermore, system integrators are increasingly opting to sell PCs without pre-installed RAM, allowing customers to utilize existing modules.
Samson Hu, co-CEO of Asus, has indicated that the company is adapting its product mix and specifications to navigate the volatile market conditions. For consumers, this means either accepting higher prices or holding onto existing hardware until supply chain challenges subside.
As the situation evolves, the extent of its impact on the hardware market remains to be seen. The challenges facing Asus and its competitors underscore the ongoing complexities in the global supply chain and the significant influence of technological advancements on pricing structures.
