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Why Acer Expects PC Prices to Rise 5%–20% Despite Better Memory Supply
Acer Chairman Jason Chen expects PC prices to rise 5%–20% in Q4 2026 even as mainstream DDR4, DDR5, and CPU availability improves, because memory and SSD procurement costs remain high; systems with more RAM or storage... TrendForce forecast conventional DRAM contract prices to rise 90%–95% quarter over quarter in Q1...
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Key takeaways
- Acer Chairman Jason Chen expects PC prices to rise 5%–20% in Q4 2026 even as mainstream DDR4, DDR5, and CPU availability improves, because memory and SSD procurement costs remain high; systems with more RAM or storage...
- TrendForce forecast conventional DRAM contract prices to rise 90%–95% quarter over quarter in Q1 2026, followed by a further 13%–18% projected increase in Q3; NAND flash was forecast to rise 55%–60% in Q1 and 10%–15%...
- More Chinese DRAM and NAND capacity could eventually soften the market, but Reuters reports that AI server demand has created a shortage many industry executives expect to last through at least 2027.
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openai.comCreate a landscape editorial hero image for this Studio Global article: How is Acer Chairman Jason Chen’s forecast of 5%–20% PC price increases in Q4 2026 linked to rising CPU, DRAM, NAND flash, SSD, PCB, and mot. Article summary: Chen’s forecast is essentially a pass-through warning: higher bills of materials—especially DRAM and NAND-based SSDs, alongside CPUs, PCBs, and motherboard inputs—are squeezing already thin PC margins, so Acer expects re. Topic tags: general, general web, news, user generated. Style: premium digital editorial illustration, source-backed research mood, clean composition, high detail, modern web publication hero. Use reference image context only for broad subject, composition, and topical grounding; do not copy the exact image. Avoid: logos, brand marks, copyrighted characters, real person likenesses, fake screenshots, UI text, readable text, watermarks, charts w
Higher PC prices and better component availability can happen at the same time. Acer Chairman Jason Chen’s forecast of a 5%–20% increase in PC prices in the fourth quarter of 2026 is primarily a warning about cost, not a prediction that every PC maker will be unable to obtain parts. Mainstream DDR4, standard DDR5, and most CPUs may be easier to source, while the contract prices paid for DRAM and NAND flash—the core inputs for RAM and SSDs—remain far above earlier levels. 2
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The key distinction: availability is not the same as affordability
Chen’s view is that the broad supply picture has improved: DDR4 and standard DDR5 are available in relatively ample quantities, and CPU supply is largely normal. DDR4 spot pricing has even softened, while DDR5 pricing has continued to rise more modestly. 2
That helps PC makers maintain production, but it does not undo the higher prices already negotiated or flowing through their procurement cycle. A PC vendor can have enough memory chips to build systems and still face a sharply higher bill of materials for each unit.
This is especially important for PCs configured with more RAM and SSD storage. Those models use more DRAM and NAND flash, so a rise in memory and storage input costs has a larger effect on their total cost than it does on a basic configuration. Acer’s reported 5%–20% range reflects that configuration sensitivity. 3
The contract-price increases behind the pressure
The biggest documented cost driver is memory. TrendForce sharply raised its first-quarter 2026 outlook, forecasting a 90%–95% quarter-over-quarter increase in conventional DRAM contract prices and a 55%–60% increase in NAND flash contract prices. It said PC DRAM pricing was expected to at least double quarter over quarter amid a seller-dominated market. 12
Price growth was expected to slow later in the year, but not reverse. For the third quarter of 2026, TrendForce forecast conventional DRAM contract prices to rise another 13%–18% quarter over quarter and NAND flash contract prices to rise 10%–15%. 7
For a PC manufacturer, the chain is straightforward:
- DRAM contract prices raise the cost of memory modules.
- NAND flash contract prices raise the cost of client SSDs.
- Higher RAM and SSD costs increase the total bill of materials for a laptop or desktop.
- Vendors must either absorb the cost in already-thin margins, reduce specifications, or pass part of it through to buyers.
Acer’s forecast implies that pass-through is becoming more likely. The supplied reporting does not, however, provide a quantified breakdown showing how much of the projected increase comes from CPUs, PCBs, or motherboard materials individually. Memory and SSD costs are the clearly documented drivers. 2
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Why AI demand affects ordinary PCs
TrendForce attributed the memory-price surge to suppliers prioritizing server applications and to robust server demand that displaces other uses of DRAM and NAND capacity. 11 Reuters similarly reported that strong demand from AI servers had created a global memory shortage that industry executives expected to persist through at least 2027.
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This does not mean that consumer PCs and AI servers use identical components. It means suppliers allocate capital, wafer capacity, product mix, and commercial attention toward the highest-value demand. That can tighten supply and strengthen pricing for conventional memory and flash products used in PCs as well.
What the forecast means for PC demand
Acer’s price outlook is an assessment of its market conditions, not proof of a universal industry shipment decline. The available sources do not substantiate a claim that total PC shipments will fall by more than 20% in the second half of 2026.
Still, the commercial risk is clear: price increases are generally hardest to absorb in entry-level PCs, where component costs represent a larger share of the selling price and buyers have more reason to postpone a replacement. Vendors may respond by raising retail prices, limiting low-margin configurations, or shifting their product mix toward models that can better absorb higher component costs.
Could Chinese memory expansion bring relief in 2027?
Chen expects PC average selling prices to peak around the middle of 2027 and ease later in the year. 3 That scenario depends on additional supply reaching the market in usable volumes.
China’s CXMT raised 57.92 billion yuan, about $8.6 billion, in its 2026 IPO. Its prospectus allocated named project spending to DRAM technology upgrades, next-generation DRAM research, and wafer-line upgrades, suggesting a potential increase in conventional DRAM capacity after the time needed to install, qualify, and ramp production.
CXMT is also considering an R&D production line for NAND flash at a new Beijing plant, Reuters reported. Separately, YMTC has been expanding in NAND; Reuters reported that its parent ranked third globally and first in China among NAND suppliers by sales and shipment volume in the first quarter of 2026, citing TrendForce. 17
If those expansions produce meaningful qualified DRAM and NAND volumes, they could improve buyers’ negotiating leverage and reduce the scarcity premium embedded in memory and SSD pricing. Lower component procurement costs would still take time to reach finished PC prices because systems must move through manufacturing, distribution, and retail channels.
Why lower prices are not guaranteed
The mid-2027 peak is a plausible Acer scenario, not a settled market outcome. New fabs and product lines take time to ramp, and a capacity announcement does not automatically translate into supply that PC makers can immediately use. Product qualification, manufacturing yields, technology constraints, and continuing AI-server demand all matter.
Reuters’ reporting offers the strongest caution: industry executives expected the memory shortage to persist through at least 2027, while TrendForce expected NAND tightness to ease only in the second half of that year. 17 Expanded Chinese output may therefore slow further price gains before it produces broad price declines.
For buyers, the practical implication is simple: healthier supply does not necessarily mean cheaper PCs in the near term. In Acer’s outlook, the bottleneck is shifting from whether components can be obtained to what they cost once they are obtained.
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Acer Chairman Jason Chen expects PC prices to rise 5%–20% in Q4 2026 even as mainstream DDR4, DDR5, and CPU availability improves, because memory and SSD procurement costs remain high; systems with more RAM or storage...
What are the key points to validate first?
Acer Chairman Jason Chen expects PC prices to rise 5%–20% in Q4 2026 even as mainstream DDR4, DDR5, and CPU availability improves, because memory and SSD procurement costs remain high; systems with more RAM or storage... TrendForce forecast conventional DRAM contract prices to rise 90%–95% quarter over quarter in Q1 2026, followed by a further 13%–18% projected increase in Q3; NAND flash was forecast to rise 55%–60% in Q1 and 10%–15%...
What should I do next in practice?
More Chinese DRAM and NAND capacity could eventually soften the market, but Reuters reports that AI server demand has created a shortage many industry executives expect to last through at least 2027.
Sources
finance.biggo.comAcer Chairman: Q4 PC Prices to Rise 5%–20%, Peak Expected in Mid-2027 — BigGo Finance
tweaktown.comAcer warns PC prices could rise by up to 20% despite improving memory supply
trendforce.comMemory Price Outlook for 1Q26 Sharply Upgraded; QoQ Increases ...