'This year is the most challenging year since the company was founded': MSI exec makes it clear how bad the RAM crisis has got, despite some prices plateauing | Tech Radar

Overview

'This year is the most challenging year since the company was founded': MSI exec makes it clear how bad the RAM crisis has got, despite some prices plateauing

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Details

MSI's general manager has called 2026 the "most challenging year since the company was founded"

The RAM crisis is hitting the laptop maker hard, and it's cutting back on production of low-end notebooks by 30% as a result

There is brighter news elsewhere as DDR5 RAM prices are seemingly dropping in Europe – but not by that much

The RAM crisis is again exerting unwanted pressures on the broader PC market, even while some slightly more optimistic news has reached us on memory pricing over in Europe.

The dose of pessimism comes from MSI, which is going to jack up the prices of its 'gaming products' in the order of 15% to 30% this year. This is according to general manager Huang Jinqing on a recent earnings call, as per a report from Taiwan's United Daily News (via Tom's Hardware).

The increases are driven by the RAM shortage, and also problems with GPU supply from Nvidia — we're told there's a 20% shortfall in securing stock of the latter.

RAM crisis gets worse as DDR5 hits a new high and worrying trend creeps in

HP admits RAM crisis means memory now consumes 35% of total cost of its PCs

Analyst firm warns of 'unprecedented and record-breaking surge' in RAM cost

The result is that MSI will cut back on its low-end gaming laptops to the tune of 30%, so it can focus more on mid-range and higher-end PCs. The simple equation to keep revenue flowing is selling fewer devices at higher prices.

Huang said the PC industry is facing severe challenges, and that: "This year is the most challenging year since the company was founded" (text translated from Chinese).

On top of the shifting priorities with laptops, MSI is switching its motherboards to favor models supporting DDR4 memory. Whereas previously four times as many DDR5 motherboards were shipped versus DDR4, that situation has reversed completely, so the older standard is now coming off production lines in fourfold compared to the quantities of DDR5 boards. That's quite a remarkable turnaround.

Analysis: tough times despite some sparks of hope

As noted at the outset, Video Cardz noticed another update from German tech site 3D Center, which keeps tabs on RAM pricing over in Germany, and observes that the price of DDR5 memory dropped by around 7% in March compared to February.

So that sounds quite positive, and it echoes other observations from the European market last month, too. However, lest we get carried away, remember that DDR5 RAM is still quadruple what it cost compared to the price in September 2025, according to 3D Center's price watching. It's just that it has dropped back a little, after plateauing from January to February this year.

Obviously, it's good to witness any kind of downward correction — or indeed just to see that RAM pricing isn't going up — but there is, of course, a limit to how much prices will rise before most consumers throw their hands up in the air and (rightly) just refuse to buy. Unless they have absolutely no choice, that is.

And elsewhere, we're hearing gloomier news on RAM hikes, and as MSI makes clear, all this — and related supply issues around video memory for GPUs — is making life very difficult for PC manufacturers (or indeed those building themselves a new computer). We've already heard as much from the likes of HP and other big laptop makers, of course.

RAM crisis shows signs of easing as DDR5 prices drop — but there's a catch

Zotac warns that graphics card makers could be wiped out by RAM crisis

Framework gives stark warning about 'years' of RAM price hike misery

However, to call 2026 the "most challenging year" is quite a statement, considering that the pandemic in 2020 was a very tough time for the market (and it isn't the first time we've heard this sentiment in the tech industry this year).

Huang is predicting a 10% to 20% decline in PC sales this year, whereas analyst firms are pitching their estimations at a 10% drop for 2026. That's the best-case scenario as far as MSI's general manager is concerned, which is troubling to say the least, as is the fact that the budget end of the PC market is going to be hit hardest.

➡️ Read our full guide to the best laptops

1. Best overall: Apple Mac Book Air 13-inch M4
2. Best budget: Asus Chromebook CM14
3. Best Windows 11 laptop Microsoft Surface Laptop 13-inch
4. Best gaming: Razer Blade 16
5. Best for pros Mac Book Pro 16-inch (M4 Pro)

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Darren is a freelancer writing news and features for Tech Radar (and occasionally T3) across a broad range of computing topics including CPUs, GPUs, various other hardware, VPNs, antivirus and more. He has written about tech for the best part of three decades, and writes books in his spare time (his debut novel - 'I Know What You Did Last Supper' - was published by Hachette UK in 2013).

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Key Takeaways

• 'This year is the most challenging year since the company was founded': MSI exec makes it clear how bad the RAM crisis has got, despite some prices plateauing

• When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission

• MSI's general manager has called 2026 the "most challenging year since the company was founded"

• The RAM crisis is hitting the laptop maker hard, and it's cutting back on production of low-end notebooks by 30% as a result

• There is brighter news elsewhere as DDR5 RAM prices are seemingly dropping in Europe – but not by that much