TULSA, OKLA (KTUL) — If you’ve been thinking about upgrading your computer, you may want to brace for higher prices.
Computer components like RAM, hard drives, SSDs, and graphic cards have all seen significant price increases over the past year, according to local computer supply experts.
Randy Wilson, managing owner of Wholesale Computer Supply, says the cost of key parts has jumped sharply as demand grows from artificial intelligence systems and large data centers.
“We still have to buy them at any price, we do the best we can to get the best deal we can,” Wilson said.
He says prices on storage and memory products have increased dramatically.
“Hard drives, SSDs, about four times what they were last year. Anything that’s got RAM memory in it, it’s cost a lot more including flash drives, thumb drives, all that,” Wilson said.
Wilson points to increased demand from the tech industry as a major factor.
“Some manufacturers are just dedicating their entire production for data centers or AI,” he said.
That shift is driving up prices in the consumer market, especially for memory products used in everyday computers.
Wilson gave a clear example of how much costs have changed.
“Let’s take a 16GB DDR4 laptop memory, laptop RAM, a year ago maybe around 25 dollars, now it’s around 100 dollars,” he said.
In some online listings, prices for similar products can be even higher.
Despite the increases, Wilson says his business has been able to keep some prices stable by stocking up early and sourcing renewed products.
“We bought ahead of time. We bought a lot of products before prices increased, we got a lot of renewed products so we still have decent prices on everything,” he said.
Still, customers are noticing the change.
“Everybody is holding back a little bit before they purchase,” Wilson said.
And for those planning to build a midrange gaming computer, Wilson says the added cost can add up quickly.
“On a midrange gaming computer, you are looking at two to three hundred dollars more on it,” he said.
Wilson says parts are still available, but consumers should expect to pay more for them as demand for AI infrastructure continues to grow.
