US EditionDRAM and SSD Prices More than Doubled in Q1 2026, Fueling PC Panic Buying
Counterpoint Research said 63.3 million PCs shipped as buyers rushed purchases before Windows 10 support ends and memory shortages lifted prices.
- PC enthusiasts are repurposing Xbox storage expansion cards for desktop use to bypass soaring SSD prices, with one Reddit user adapting a 1TB card using a CFexpress reader as a cost-effective workaround.
- Explosive AI data center demand has fueled global component shortages, forcing manufacturers to prioritize high-margin enterprise SSDs over consumer segments, leaving retail SSD prices to surge dramatically since November.
- The repurposed Xbox card delivers speeds around 1GB per second, sufficient for gaming and personal files, while providing about twice the performance of a standard SATA SSD.
- Seagate Storage Expansion Cards retail for around $200 for 1TB and $276 for 2TB, whereas 2TB NVMe SSDs have soared to nearly $450, making the repurposed cards economically attractive.
- Supply pressures for DRAM and NAND are expected to persist throughout 2026, keeping hardware costs elevated and ensuring this modification remains a niche solution for budget-constrained users.
17 Articles
17 Articles
Xbox expansion cards are now cheaper than SSDs, and PC users are repurposing them
The storage pricing situation is so bad right now that in some cases using an older expansion card designed for a gaming console can be a better option than purchasing a new SSD. A Reddit user recently shared an experiment with Xbox expansion cards, adapting the seemingly proprietary format for...Read Entire Article
SSDs: WTF?
Features SSDs: WTF? April 2, 2026 Last Updated: 2026-04-02 We dive deep into why SSD prices are skyrocketing, and why we think they'll get worse in the near-term The Highlights Similar to RAM (DRAM) prices for system memory, SSDs are now plotting an actually worse price increase trajectory by
Global PC Shipments Grow 3.2% YoY in Q1 2026 on Pre-emptive Buying Before Memory-led Price Increases
Global PC shipments grew 3.2% YoY in Q1 2026 to reach 63.3 million units, driven by pre-emptive buying before memory-led price increases hit the retail level, and the necessary hardware refreshes caused by the termination of Windows 10 support. Lenovo, Dell, Apple and Asus saw YoY growth in shipments, and an increase in market share. 2026 will serve as a critical test of market resilien…
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