Asus is about to do something that no one likes to read in a headline: raise the prices of a good part of their laptops and PCsjust when many people are thinking about renewing equipment for 2026. And yes, once again, the “blame” is being taken by the artificial intelligencewhich not only grabs headlines, but also RAM memories and storage units.
The move matters because Asus is not a small player: it is one of the key laptop manufacturers for both gamers and average userswith catalogs ranging from the most beastly ROGs to slim ultrabooks for the office, university or teleworking. When Asus moves in price, the market listens.
Asus is preparing to charge more (and it is not a minor adjustment)
Asus reported that will raise the prices of several of its products starting January 5especially affecting laptops, desktop PCs and probably some models aimed at gaming and advanced productivity. We are not talking about a symbolic touch-up: the context surrounding this announcement points to sensible increasessimilar to those that other players in the PC sector have already suggested.
The message is clear: the increase responds to a sharp rise in prices of key componentsespecially DRAM (RAM) and NAND memory used in SSDwhich have seen very aggressive price increases in recent months. For a brand whose business depends on offering laptops with good memory and storage configurations, that translates almost directly into more expensive equipment in the shop window.
The interesting thing is that Asus is not alone: experts have already been warning of a scenario where the PC market could shrink up to about 9% in 2026 precisely because of the increase in memory costs. When components skyrocket, either the manufacturer eats the margin or the user pays the difference; Asus, apparently, chose the second option.
AI is eating RAM and SSD and you pay the bill
Behind all this there is a very clear protagonist: the brutal demand for hardware for artificial intelligence. Large data centers and platforms that train and run AI models are buying huge amounts of High performance RAM and fast storagealtering the traditional balance of the market.
Sector analysts point out that, in the last cycle, DRAM and NAND prices have risen steadilydriven by massive contracts for servers and AI solutions, leaving less—and more expensive—offering for the consumer segment. Manufacturers like Samsung, SK Hynix or Micron prioritize where the money is: data centers and advanced memories, not necessarily the laptop you take to class.
For a brand like Asus, which competes strongly in the field gamer with series like ROG and TUF, and in the range mainstream with Vivobook or Zenbook, this is a direct problem: their models with more RAM and larger SSD capacitiesjust the ones that many users look for to play, edit or work fluently, are the most exposed to these cost increases. Result: If you want a machine with “extra” memory in 2026, you will notice it on the receipt.
And it’s not just a one-off spike. Industry projections indicate that pressure on memory prices could extend for much of 2026with a gradual normalization towards the second half of the year. That is, don’t expect this to be fixed in two months: AI is not going to stop consuming hardware just because you want to buy a cheaper laptop.
How will you be affected by Asus’ price increase?
The obvious question: How does it affect you if you were thinking of buying an Asus in 2026? The short answer is that you are probably going to find fewer offers and more prices “adjusted” to the new component context.
For gamers, the impact can be especially annoying.
- ROG and TUF laptops with 16 GB or 32 GB of RAM and 1 TB or more SSD They are just the teams that suffer the most when these components go up.
- If you were aiming for a “multi-year” gaming laptop, with good RAM to withstand future releases and heavy multitasking, chances are that the entry price for this type of machine rises compared to 2025.
For the average user who just wants a fluid laptop for work, study and leisure, the effect is still noticeable, but in a different way:
- The mid-range models that they previously offered you a very balanced combo of RAM and SSD for a reasonable price They could cut something in specifications or go up a step in price.
- We may see more configurations with fair capabilities at the base price (for example, 8 GB of RAM and 256 GB of SSD), leaving the “ideal” versions as more expensive options.
What can you do as a consumer in this context?
- If you now find an Asus laptop with good RAM and SSD at a “pre-upgrade” priceit may be a good time to advance the purchase before the new settings are reflected across the entire channel.
- If you’re not in a hurry, you could wait to see how the rest of the market responds: other manufacturers are also under the same pressure, but competition and one-off promotions often create windows of opportunity throughout the year.
- Another strategy is prioritize a good CPU and GPU and leave room to expand RAM or storage later, as long as the computer allows it; This way you can mitigate part of the immediate extra cost.
In any case, the message left by this Asus move is quite direct: The AI era isn’t just redefining the software we use, it’s also rewriting how much the hardware we need costs.. And in 2026, laptops from a brand as strong as Asus are going to be one of the most visible proofs of this new reality.
Keep reading:
• Upgrading your computer’s RAM could end up costing you the equivalent of a new PS5
• If you need RAM, it’s now or never: prices will continue to rise
• Micron has bad news: the RAM memory crisis will continue in 2026