• SK Hynix just published its Q3 2026 financial results
• These came with a prediction of the RAM crisis lasting until 2030
• After that, expect a further drain on memory supply from "physical AI such as autonomous driving and robotics"

Apologies for bringing you more negative news about the RAM crisis, but we've heard yet another prediction that supply woes are going to last for the rest of this decade.

This time it's SK Hynix (again) weighing in, a memory chip maker that has just issued its latest earnings report, as Wccftech noticed. Profits are booming, unsurprisingly, but SK Hynix also shared its most recent thinking on the RAM crisis, and how likely it is to be a protracted affair.

In the press release for its Q3 2026 results, SK Hynix announced succinctly: "Memory supply shortage to persist through 2030."

That was the title of a section briefing us on the memory shortage, where SK Hynix further observed: "The company assessed that supply … is not keeping pace with the growth of the market. Given technical difficulty of leading-edge processes and the long lead time required to build new production facilities, it expects the structure in which demand exceeds supply to persist through 2030."

The firm also predicted it will sustain its growth and revenue, which exceeded 100 trillion won in Q3 — the first time that's ever happened in a quarter by the way — thanks to enterprise and AI demand in the shorter-term, and "over the mid-to-long term, demand for physical AI such as autonomous driving and robotics."

Analysis: a 'virtuous cycle' for shareholders – a nightmare for consumers

It's interesting to note that SK Hynix is forecasting that longer-term demand for memory will be driven by robots or 'physical AI' even if software AI (agents) falls away somewhat as the decade rolls to a close. Micron is predicting the exact same thing, and recently went into even more precise detail in estimating that 'humanoid robots' could need 200GB (or more) of RAM and multiple terabytes of storage in every unit.

So there's similar thinking from the big memory module makers here, but we shouldn't be surprised by that. They need to talk up their future profits, after all, and reassure markets that we aren't in a bubble, so it's only natural that they'd want to make predictions of major future revenue sources to be tapped.

Still, there's clearly some substance to these predictions, and it's concerning for consumers that a growing number of analysts and big players in the tech industry are talking about the RAM crisis lasting until 2030, and that robots are apparently set to take the baton from AI data centers and push demand for more memory as we head into the next decade.

We can but hope that Micron and SK Hynix are overshooting with their expectations of the hungry robots eating all our RAM in a few years' time, although how that land lies will depend on how widely robots are adopted, as well as how much memory they'll need.

Meanwhile, SK Hynix asserts that the "virtuous cycle" which has resulted from AI-powered productivity gains driving increased investment in infrastructure (data centers) will continue, and moreover "broaden to include general enterprises and nation-level initiatives", the upshot being that the "global AI data center infrastructure market will continue to grow steadily."

I don't think many PC owners or gamers feel that the way things have gone with memory of late is all that 'virtuous' at all, but the shareholders of SK Hynix and other big chip makers certainly won't be complaining. They can probably afford themselves a very nice PC even in the current super-inflated component climate, after all.

• XMG warns that 'substantial price increases for upcoming GPU shipments' mean it's hiking RTX 5090 laptop prices
• One model is already pricier and bigger hikes for XMG's other notebooks could be coming soon
• At the same time, we're hearing more about the struggles of Nvidia's partners for supply of components for the desktop RTX 5090

The position of Nvidia's RTX 5090 is looking shakier by the day, as even more chatter is emerging suggesting that this GPU is effectively sidelined at this point, even if it hasn't actually been discontinued.

You may have read up on those recent rumors claiming that Nvidia has discontinued the RTX 5090 — which is speculation that Team Green has firmly denied, I should make clear.

The fresh negative news from the grapevine comes firstly from laptop maker XMG on Reddit, which is sharing more bad news on the RAM crisis affecting its prices, specifically with the RTX 5090.

XMG says: "We expect laptops with the RTX 5090 to become significantly more expensive again over the coming weeks." (We already saw price hikes from XMG last month, if you recall).

The company explains why: "Procurement conditions for the RTX 5090 Laptop GPU have deteriorated considerably within a short period. We have received new information indicating substantial price increases for upcoming GPU shipments.

"At the same time, availability is becoming increasingly constrained. Replenishment orders that have already been planned or, in some cases, even confirmed are being significantly reduced in quantity."

XMG notes that beyond these existing orders, it is "currently difficult to make reliable predictions about future supply volumes and delivery dates."

The laptop maker also tells us that "other laptop GPUs are also facing supply constraints", but that the "combination of massive price increases and extremely limited supply" is "particularly pronounced" with the RTX 5090.

That doesn't sound very comforting, does it? The immediate result is that the Schenker Key 18 Pro laptop (Schenker is XMG's parent company) with the RTX 5090 has increased in price by €250 (around $280 / £210 / AU$400) as of today, and the XMG NEO laptops with the RTX 5090 will see at least a similar price increase — although we're warned that the "increase could be even higher" for those notebooks depending on how the situation develops. Nasty.

The second shot of negativity here is from overclocker Der8auer in Germany, who as Wccftech reports, has heard from one of Nvidia's board making partners.

Add seasoning as appropriate here, but the unnamed graphics-card maker claims that while it hasn't been informed that the RTX 5090 is discontinued — Nvidia Germany also told Der8auer this (backing up other statements to this effect from Team Green) — it cannot currently purchase the GB203 chip plus VRAM package (32GB of GDDR7 video RAM) to make the RTX 5090 laptop card.

The more worrying part is that the board maker says that this kind of component shortage has happened before, but it has always been able to place a backorder to be fulfilled later. However, right now it's not even possible to obtain a backorder from Nvidia.

A maker of coolers for the RTX 5090 further observes that it has witnessed reduced orders from board makers, and it doesn't have any orders at all for heatsinks for Nvidia's flagship GPU for Q2 2027 at this point. That obviously suggests that the production quantities for the RTX 5090 are looking even shakier for the future.

Analysis: bleak times

At some point, the accumulation of rumors begins to reach a kind of critical mass where it seems very unlikely that they're all off base, and that in all likelihood, something really is going on.

We appear to be arriving at this point with the RTX 5090 rumors, in my opinion. There are too many of them, and the indications at the retail level — vanishing stock, and ever-increasing RTX 5090 prices, which have become truly ridiculous — also back up the grapevine here.

What's worrying is the further gloom from the likes of a cooler manufacturer, and the fact that the RTX 5090 laptop GPU is also involved. Remember that this doesn't use the GB202 chip seen in the desktop RTX 5090, but Nvidia's GB203 silicon; however, the supply problem lies in getting the video RAM (3GB GDDR7 modules, which are now thinner on the ground and far pricier than the 2GB modules used in the RTX 5080 laptop graphics card).

So, while the RTX 5090 may not be discontinued, it would appear that supplies are getting so low for this GPU — on both desktop and laptop fronts — that while technically it's still in production, the quantities are dipping to such an extent that the flagship is effectively being pushed aside.

All in all, it feels like an especially bleak time for higher-end Nvidia graphics cards, and the fear is that the situation may worsen from here.

Certainly when we look at the predictions for the RAM crisis next year, they're universally pessimistic, and there's a greater level of belief these days that memory supply woes could last for the rest of this decade. Of course, VRAM is bound up in that, as well as AI demand for GPU chips, and all this could affect the launch timeframe of Nvidia's next-gen GeForce graphics cards, too.

In my last column, I described how to control two or more PCs with a single set of input devices using software. While these applications can work over wired Ethernet, they more typically use Wi-Fi and can get tripped up in environments with public Wi-Fi like many offices.

Fortunately, a number of USB-based devices can provide a reliable alternative. Some can also work on devices such as Chromebooks, which prevent installing low-level drivers, and allow you to control a computer before it has gotten past the login screen and the software has loaded. However, a few still require a software installation.

First off, many vendors offer simple keyboard-mouse switches that can instantly switch control among multiple PCs using USB connections. KVM switches can also work; just don’t attach other monitors to the switch if they are connected to other PCs.

The trade-off is that these baseline devices can’t do seamless mouse handoffs across computers. On most switches, you must either press a button on the device itself or a remote. (Some use wired remotes while others use infrared). Some higher-end KVM switches allow assigning a hotkey on a keyboard to switch among PCs being controlled.

Going through a wormhole

As for more specialized hardware, perhaps the company with the broadest range of products for traversing multiple PCs is J5Create, which has trademarked the function as Wormhole in nine products, including two docking stations and two hubs.

But the heart of the lineup are four simple cables with USB-A connectors on each end. They range from the $15 JUC100 to the $80 JUC700 which, like the Stardock’s Multiplicity software, can also press one of the PCs into service as a second display.

Curiously, the lowest-end and highest-end product work only with Windows, but the two middle-tier variants can work with MacOS. Regardless, both computers must be running the software that installs from a volume embedded within the cable. The software supports sharing Clipboard content.

The company’s newest and most novel Wormhole product is the Aero Drop CrossLink, a small USB-A device that comes packaged in a small astronaut figure. Once freed from its plastic space suit, it allows a PC-connected keyboard and mouse to control an iPhone, iPad, or Android device over a Bluetooth connection. Unlike the company’s wired products, though, connections to a Mac or even another PC aren’t supported.

Perfect pairings

The next two products came into the market via Kickstarter campaigns. Asuizo Crossys is a bit like the generic keyboard-mouse switching products, but with a few twists.

First, its cables to connect two computers are permanently attached. Second, like the J5Create products, the device includes software that must be installed on the Mac or PC being connected. The Mac version, though, is a faceless app that requires access to the Mac’s accessibility features.

Finally, the LoopMotion device is the only intelligent switch in the lot that requires no software installation, billing itself as the only “location-aware” KM switch. Simply connect a cable to each of its USB ports (labeled L and R) and start seamlessly controlling one with the keyboard of another.

The device is not without its options, though. Pressing a key combination mounts a drive with an HTML page listing more key combinations for modes optimized for gaming and other tasks as well as one that will keep the PC it’s activated awake.

LoopMotion is one of the few options in the class that works out of the box with Linux. However, Chrome OS is a no-go, leaving mechanical switches as about the only option. Another limitation is that, unlike products that use software, Loopsmart won’t allow integrated laptop touchpads to move the cursor between PCs. However, this isn’t all bad, at least as an option, as it can be helpful to keep the cursor contained for some tasks even when two laptops are bridged.

A controlling interest

If you’re looking for the simplest free option, Microsoft’s Mouse without Borders is still the best choice. Although its initial codes are cumbersome and it is limited to four Windows PCs, the software avoids having to enter IP addresses but still provides some extra useful features such as Clipboard sharing and file transfers. Plus, it comes along for the ride if you're into the PowerToys collection.

Stepping up from there, Synergy and its open-source cousin DeskFlow can also bridge Macs and Linux machines. Meanwhile, Multiplicity has the highest degree of customizability and a unique audio-sharing feature If a network-based solution doesn’t work in your environment.

Synergy and Multiplicity offer enterprise configuration and management support, which is particularly appealing for software that stretches across the network. If that’s not an option in your environment, it’s tough to beat the simplicity of Loopmotion. Go with a solution like Crossys, though, if the application demands Clipboard sharing or you’re bridging laptops and don’t want to attach a separate keyboard or mouse.

Read more: We found the best KVM switch deals you can get right now and the best monitors for a dual-screen setup

• A new report claims that Amazon is buying up more AI GPU racks than it can deploy in data centers
• An analyst links this report to Nvidia's GeForce GPU supply woes, theorizing that there's a connection
• The contention is that Nvidia is deliberately 'channel stuffing' or in other words, pushing an excess of AI GPUs to the detriment of gaming GPU chips

Nvidia's supply issues with its gaming GPUs are seemingly the result of a strategy to get AI giants to stock up on more graphics chips than they can handle, if fresh reports are to be believed.

You can't have failed to notice the stock issues around Nvidia's GeForce GPUs, and the spike in prices that has happened over the past few months, particularly for higher-end graphics cards.

Well, according to the musings of tech pundit and analyst Ed Zitron (via RespawnFirst) — who picked up on a report by Business Insider — the consumer GPU shortage is a direct result of Nvidia pushing AI graphics cards on the likes of Amazon.

Business Insider informs us that Amazon (or rather AWS) is buying more Nvidia GPUs than it can deploy. Apparently, racks of the AI graphics cards are being kept unused in holding warehouses until there's power available at the data centers where they'll be used (electricity capacity, not space, is the issue here).

Amazon is paying out huge sums for these GB300 racks from Nvidia, and according to an internal email that Business Insider got hold of, a new 'Early Rack Receipt' process (buying these GPUs upfront, before they're installed) saw some $5 billion worth of server racks paid for in August 2026. Seemingly $3 billion more are on order every month for the "foreseeable future" going by another email.

We're told one AWS team didn't have a "clear forecasted path" for getting the purchased racks installed — in other words, they're not even sure when these GPUs might be used.

Zitron's argument is based on a key phrase in the Business Insider report, where the author states that the reason for the switch in policy — Amazon only used to pay for racks when they were installed in a data center — is that "Amazon has to compete more for scarce resources as it jockeys with rivals for access to Nvidia GPUs and other AI components."

The conclusion Zitron draws is that this is basically indicating that Nvidia is making Amazon, and others buying up AI GPUs, compete with each other by agreeing to order a whole pile of them there and then — more than they possibly need — otherwise they won't get their allocation (presumably).

Analysis: GPU misery is clear enough to see

In short, these AI GPUs aren't actually needed as such — not by Amazon in this quantity, as per the Business Insider report — but Nvidia is effectively strong-arming the company into buying the chips, or as Zitron puts it, this is "deliberate channel stuffing." Meaning Nvidia is forcing this AI demand artificially to the seeming detriment of GeForce GPUs, with lesser chip supply for those gaming cards causing price inflation and general misery for gamers.

Obviously we need to take this with a good deal of caution — that goes for the initial report from Business Insider, and doubly so with the theorizing that Zitron applies on top of that article.

There's no denying, however, that we have witnessed a frustrating shortage of consumer GPUs, and in particular Nvidia's high-end gaming graphics cards have become painfully thin on the ground — and pricey. The RTX 5090 is either unobtainable, save through third-party marketplace sellers trying to gouge you out of the best part of 10 grand (in the US), or it's hideously expensive to the tune of over £6,000 in the UK, for example.

What's worse is the RTX 5080 is now getting ridiculously pricey too, reaching £1,400 in the UK. And in the US on Newegg, there's now only one model for sale (direct from the retailer) — and it'll set you back $2,000. It's all getting silly, frankly, and with rumors that the RTX 5090 is being discontinued doing the rounds — speculation Nvidia has denied, I should make clear — it's currently a disappointingly gloomy picture for GPUs.

The expectation is that matters are only going to get worse for RAM, SSDs, and GPUs, as next year rolls into town — and that makes all the above theorizing seem a bit more plausible. It's certainly clear that Nvidia's priority is AI GPUs rather than GeForce graphics cards because of the profits involved with AI, but of course, Team Green is a business — so what do we expect? Prioritization is one thing, though, and the levelled accusation of the practice of 'channel stuffing' is entirely another.

DDR5 is the memory standard for newer PCs, but it costs far more than DDR4, especially when you're looking for faster or higher-capacity kits. So I was pleased to find this TeamGroup T-Force 32GB DDR4 RAM kit down to $200 (was $264) at Newegg when you use code GTWF576.

This is a straightforward desktop memory kit for anyone who wants more DDR4 RAM without paying extra for RGB lighting and the like.

• Best for: Anyone looking to upgrade a compatible DDR4 desktop PC to 32GB of memory for multitasking, photo editing, gaming, and other memory-intensive tasks.

• What we like: This memory kit supports Intel XMP 2.0, and features aluminum heat spreaders. You get two 16GB modules, and the kit operates at DDR4-3200 speeds, with CL16 latency and 16-20-20-40 timings.

Today's best DDR4 RAM deal

Why we recommend it

With Intel XMP 2.0 support, this RAM allows compatible systems to load the advertised memory settings via the BIOS. Each module features a gray aluminum heat spreader, and the memory uses a standard 288-pin desktop DIMM design and runs at 1.35V at its rated settings.

It's non-ECC, unbuffered, and compatible with supported Intel and AMD platforms, although you'll need to check your motherboard's specifications to make sure it will work with your system.

Price context & historical value

Newegg currently sells the RAM kit for $239.99, down from $263.99, which represents an initial saving of $24. However, apply code GTWF576 to take an additional $40 off, lowering the total price down to $199.99, roughly $6.25 per gigabyte.

That means you're saving $64 overall, equivalent to approximately 24% off the original price. Unsurprisingly, given the memory crisis, this isn't the lowest I've seen it go for. It's previously been on sale at Newegg for just $119.99, which is $80 less than today's discounted price.

Should you buy it?

✅ Buy the Team T-Force 32GB Vulcan Z kit if...

You have a compatible DDR4 desktop with 16GB or less of RAM and regularly encounter memory limitations. Moving to 32GB can help with more demanding memory-intensive tasks.

❌ Skip the Team T-Force 32GB Vulcan Z kit if...

Your existing system already has sufficient RAM, or you're building a new PC around a motherboard that requires DDR5 memory. This kit cannot be installed in DDR5 slots.

• Shop all RAM at Newegg

The Samsung 990 Pro is one of those SSDs that stopped us in our tracks. Praising it as "absolutely stellar" in our review, the internal drive earned a flawless 5 stars in our review. Even now, it's one of the fastest PCIe 4.0 SSDs we've ever tested.

Currently, the 4TB Samsung 990 Pro is down to $800 (was $1100) at Amazon - and the 1TB and 2TB capacities are also discounted right now. All are available with or without heatsinks. This SSD hits sequential read speeds hit up to 7,450MB/s and write speeds reach up to 6,900MB/s.

• Best for: Professionals who need a large amount of fast internal storage, particularly those working with high-resolution video, large datasets, and complex creative projects.

• What we like: In our tests, the 990 Pro gave us the fastest read/write performance of any PCIe 4.0 SSD we’ve tested.

Today's best Samsung SSD deal

Why we recommend it

In his five-star review of the 990 Pro SSD, our expert John said it was: "an absolutely stellar M.2 SSD for both professional users and gamers alike. With solid capacities at a fair price and the fastest read/write performance of any PCIe 4.0 SSD we’ve tested, this SSD should definitely be at the top of your list if you’re looking to upgrade or do a new PC build."

He summed up saying that "large project assets are going to load faster, games are going to have shorter loading screens, and you’re going to get overall great performance when just starting up an app or game, or while performing hefty file operations."

Random read performance is up to 1.6 million IOPS and random writes up to 1.55 million IOPS. The drive uses Samsung V-NAND TLC flash memory, an in-house controller, and 4GB of LPDDR4 DRAM cache. Having dedicated DRAM helps the controller manage data efficiently, particularly for demanding workloads.

The 4TB model carries a five-year limited warranty, subject to a 2,400TB total bytes written endurance limit. That's a great spec for a drive designed to handle large amounts of data.

Price context & historical value

Amazon usually sells the 4TB 990 Pro SSD for $1,099.99 but it's currently available for $799.90, $300.09 cheaper than normal. That isn't the lowest price we've seen it go for though. In 2023's Black Friday sales, it was priced at $249.99.

For more savings, we're tracking all the best SSD deals to help beat all the price hikes on components.

Should you buy it?

✅ Buy the Samsung 4TB 990 Pro SSD if...

You need 4TB of fast NVMe storage, regularly work with large files, and have a compatible PCIe 4.0 system that can take advantage of the drive's performance.

❌ Skip the Samsung 4TB 990 Pro SSD if...

Your main priority is low-cost storage, you don't regularly run demanding applications, or you're building a PCIe 5.0 system and want to explore newer SSD options.

More Samsung SSD deals

• Shop all internal SSD deals at Amazon

• Nvidia's RTX 6060 may not arrive until 2029 a leaker claims
• They note that when there are supply issues (the current RAM shortage), Nvidia tends to drag out the release of lower-end GPUs
• They also believe it's unlikely the RTX 6060 will match the PS6 for frame rates

Nvidia's budget GPU for its next-gen range may not be released for three years yet, if a new rumor about the RTX 6060 turns out to be correct.

Wccftech spotted a post from leaker Kepler on the NeoGAF forums, who chipped in with speculation on Nvidia's graphics cards in a thread about the cost of the PlayStation 6.

Kepler was responding to a comment observing that the PS6 is going to go up against the RTX 6060 when it launches in terms of comparisons to PC gaming, and the leaker said — add seasoning with this as ever — that the "6060 will launch much later (and based on recent trends I doubt it will match PS6)".

In a further post, the leaker added: "When there's a supply shortage Nvidia tends to really drag the release of lower end cards. There's a good chance RTX 6060 comes out in 2029."

This would mean we're looking at an early-to-mid 2028 launch for the RTX 6090, 6080 and 6070, which lines up with more recent rumors. Of course, that's not a foregone conclusion, and Kepler is clearly speculating here.

Recent reports from analysts indicate that the PS6 will likely launch in 2028, though some have argued that Sony's next-gen console could appear late in 2027 (alongside other devices, perhaps).

Analysis: late, as well as short on performance?

Of course, what Kepler contends here is what Nvidia is supposedly planning right now, and just as with the PS6, a lot of the direction that Team Green goes in with its next-gen GPUs will depend on the memory crisis. Graphics cards do, of course, use video RAM (VRAM), and the next generation of GeForce products will be expected to up the ante on that score. (Gamers are already unhappy with Nvidia's current-gen VRAM configurations).

The problem is that there's no shortage of predictions that RAM cost inflation is going to get even worse in 2027, after it has already spiked in a big way through the middle of this year. The theorizing then runs that 2028 is also going to be a difficult year, which lends weight to the argument that the RTX 6060 will indeed be late to the GPU party.

In short, I wouldn't rule out the possibility of a 2029 arrival for the RTX 6060 as suggested, which obviously isn't great news for those hoping to score a more wallet-friendly next-gen Nvidia GPU.

It's also interesting to note that Kepler believes the RTX 6060 won't be as powerful as the PS6 for gaming frame rates, but I'd take that claim with even more salt than the rumors around timing.

Gauging hardware capabilities at this stage is obviously a trickier task, but Kepler's assertion isn't an impossibility of course. Note that the current RTX 5060 matches the PS5 Pro's gaming performance (roughly, for rasterization as opposed to ray tracing), so if the RTX 6060 couldn't equal the PS6, that would be a clear disappointment for PC gamers on a budget (particularly if the VRAM loadout again turns out lean).

Having been at Nvidia's RTX Spark event in San Francisco earlier this month, I was lucky enough to get a firsthand walk through of the many things the 'superchip' can do. Since then I've spent almost every waking moment putting the ARM-based RTX Spark through its paces and seeing what makes it so different from other chipsets that have come before.

The RTX Spark is Nvidia’s first System on a Chip (SoC). Combining an 18-core CPU and 5120 Cuda core Blackwell RTX GPU all in one, or a 20-core CPU and 6144-core GPU for its meatier version, it offers an integrated chipset in the vein of Apple’s M series chips. While Apple’s silicon is known for its oomph, that Blackwell RTX GPU means you’ll also get considerable gaming performance here to boot.

How does this translate in terms of raw numbers? It’s certainly got a lot going on under the hood, as the RTX Spark N1X chip I’ve been playing around with squeezes 20 cores into its CPU. While the 2,623 single-core performance I clocked on Geekbench 7.1 falls somewhat short of the 4,288 we got for Apple’s M5 chip, its 21,899 multi-core score massively outstripped the latter’s 17,926. That means that for tasks like content creation, software development and AI, you should be able to expect more oomph in your corner.

So given the potential it promises across agentic AI, creative workflows and gaming, let’s take a look at how it performs across each of those areas in turn.

Hybrid agentic AI

During the launch of Nvidia’s RTX Spark SoC, there was a huge focus on its potential for hybrid agentic AI. Now, cloud-based AI models are undoubtedly pretty powerful but I absolutely have security concerns about uploading my most private data to the cloud and I’m not entirely sure I want to blindly trust the companies behind some of these models.

Using local, open-source models that I can vet myself and that never transmit sensitive data outside of my network feels like a much safer alternative — but not everybody necessarily wants to cut themselves off from the power of frontier models. That’s why Nvidia has introduced a hybrid-system for the RTX Spark instead.

Instead, the hybrid-workflow that the RTX Spark supports allows you to select your choice of local models and ring-fence them for certain parts of an agentic workflow, while outsourcing specific, demanding tasks to cloud frontier models. As a result, users should be able to take a far more granular approach, deciding exactly how much they want to rely on public vs private models.

For people who like to vibe-code complex products or are generating demanding 3D scenes, not being forced to choose between binary security options of a lax, YOLO approach and a full-blown lockdown will likely be a valuable tool.

So now that I’ve spent some hands-on time with the RTX Spark, how has its agentic performance delivered on these promises? To get a broad picture of I ran the MLPerf Client benchmark to simulate data analyst and SWE agentic workflows using the Qwen 3 8B local model, with each run hitting an average duration of 63.7 and 50.8 seconds and processing up to 14,005 and 10,238 tokens respectively.

I also benchmarked some generative image and video workflows using ComfyUI. When testing workflows using Flux2.Dev (NVFP4 and Flux2.Klein 4B Base) NVFP4 models for image generation, it took 46.5 and 16.2 seconds to generate respectively, while the LTX 2.5 (Distilled) NVFP4 model took 88 seconds. That’s broadly in line with what Nvidia has been promising and shows how rapidly the RTX Spark can generate media using local models.

Raw data will only tell you so much though. That’s why I spent days training my own AI agent using Hermes and the Qwen3.8 27B open-source local model to see what the RTX Spark could do.

Certainly, it seems to have absolutely ripped through some tasks on its Extra High setting. Feeding it some analytics data in CSV form, I asked it to tidy up the spreadsheet, analyze the data and present its key findings and after 12 minutes of pondering and tweaking, it happily spat out a pivot table and some observations on the data. While I wasn’t hugely surprised by any of its conclusions, I’ve spent months poring through this data and the fact it could identify the most essential points without any of my secure information leaving the laptop was pretty impressive.

Some experiments I conducted involved a little more patience and tweaking of the agent’s workflow to get the best results though. The first time I asked my Hermes agent to connect to my online email client and provide a digest of the day’s emails, it spent 75 minutes trying various methods to exchange tokens with Outlook’s online client, before crashing unexpectedly. However, the second time I played a slightly more active role, providing it feedback when I felt it was drifting or had come up against hurdles and it successfully set up the brief in 70 minutes.

So with some patience and judicious prompting, you can definitely get some good results utilizing a local model. Additionally, you don’t have to go through this full process every time — ask Hermes to save something as a skill and it will automate this process in future or even schedule it as a recurring Cron Job. You can even ask it to work out ways to improve the efficiency of existing skills, meaning it should be easier to minimize the run time and resources they require in future.

Creative workflows

You’d be forgiven for thinking this means the RTX Spark laptops are predominantly focused on AI tools. But that couldn’t be further from the case: while a lot of the press surrounding the chip has been on its agentic AI tools, this really isn’t the sole string to its bow.

As you can tell from the fact that the RTX Spark is used in the latest Asus ProArt P16, creative work is a big focus for the new SoC. Even if you’re not interested in the power it offers for generative AI, the sheer number of RTX-compatible creative apps out there, whether that’s Blender, Adobe Creative Suite, Canva or Unity shows how many creative giants are throwing their weight behind the new SoC.

Eager to test how well the RTX Spark handles creative work, I used Puget Bench to automate a range of tasks in Photoshop and Premiere Pro. PugetBench’s standard Photoshop workflow took 10.83 minutes and netted a score of 11,801, while its standard Premiere Pro pipeline took 8.12 minutes and achieved a score of 76,234, putting it firmly in the range of a true creative workstation. That means it sits in the rough region of Apple’s M5 chip, which scored 13,755 and 69,887 respectively, besting it on complicated video work but not quite equaling it for still imagery.

For those who use generative AI in their work, I also benchmarked some generative image and video workflows using ComfyUI. When testing workflows using Flux2.Dev (NVFP4 and Flux2.Klein 4B Base) NVFP4 models for image generation, it took 46.5 and 16.2 seconds to generate respectively, while the LTX 2.5 (Distilled) NVFP4 model took 88 seconds. That’s broadly in line with what Nvidia has been promising and shows how rapidly the RTX Spark can generate media using local models.

While I’m neither an aspiring cinematographer or a budding Blender artist, I’ve spent decades tinkering with static images so I dug out an old 4K, 300dpi Photoshop file. It was already pretty huge as it featured lots of hi-res layers, clipping masks and adjustment layers but I tripled the number of layers for good measure and added a bunch of filters and effects. Processing time remained less than a second and even halving the image size only took about five, which is pretty impressive given the sheer number of layers and groups I was working with.

And the RTX Spark should even be able to speed up these applications’ built-in AI tools, thanks to the recently announced collaboration between Nvidia and Adobe. Optimizing the apps to take full advantage of the chip’s GPU, Adobe promises that RTX Spark laptops offer 2x AI processing, editing, color and effects. That’s a real advantage for anyone that uses these AI tools as part of their workflow.

Gaming performance

Given Nvidia’s history, gaming is naturally also a big focus for the RTX Spark chipset. As most games run on x86 architecture, SoCs haven’t been the most natural home for gaming in the past. However, Nvidia’s stature in this space means plenty of developers launched RTX Spark native versions of their games when the chip was launched on October 16, including Cyberpunk 2077, Doom: The Dark Ages, and 007 First Light — while the Call of Duty series is due to land in 2027. And for those that aren’t yet compatible, Prism emulation will mean you’ll be able to run many titles with only a slight impact on your CPU performance.

When it comes to gaming performance, the RTX Spark is certainly no slouch. It netted a 3DMark Port Royal score of 8,133, Steel Nomad score of 2,846 and a Speed Way score of 2,872. That’s a touch below Asus Zephyrus G14 with Nvidia GeForce RTX 5070 Ti’s respective 10,119, 3,488 and 4,031 scores. But it’s considerably better performance than you’d get out of most laptops with an integrated GPU such as the pre-RTX-Spark Dell XPS 16, which secured values of 3,888, 1,488, and 916.

But while these simulated benchmarks are helpful for getting a broad view of gaming performance, in-game benchmarks are the best way of gaining real insight into how actual titles perform. While testing the RTX Spark, Cyberpunk 2077 delivered a stable 30.16fps at 1080p on Raytracing: Ultra settings and Doom: The Dark Ages averaged out at 48.58fps at 1080p — very similar to the 32.33fps and 55.63fps we got out of the Asus TUF Gaming A14 with Nvidia GeForce RTX 5060.

Nothing compares to actually trying out games first hand though, so I fired up a few of my favorites and tried them out. Cyberpunk 2077 honestly felt pretty playable even using the above Raytracing Ultra setting and once I’d switched down to Ray-tracing Medium, it ran at a wonderfully fluid 60fps.

Meanwhile, running Gears of War: E-Day at Ultra settings felt as smooth as tahini drizzled over a marble countertop. As I crunched through waves of the Horde, there wasn’t any noticeable slowdown even at Ultra settings, with the action never dipping below a seriously fluid 115fps. So it might not match the RTX 5090 for sheer power but anyone barring elite gamers will find a lot to like here still.

So even though it’s naturally not at the level of dedicated gaming laptops like the MSI Vector A18 HX A9W, I’m still pretty impressed with gaming on the RTX Spark chip. And that only becomes more pronounced when you compare it to similar lightweight SoC systems. While the MacBook Pro M5 is similarly impressive in terms of creative performance, it was barely able to scrap 11.5fps in Cyberpunk 2077 on Raytracing: Ultra settings.

As a result, if you’re looking for a chipset that will give you not just great performance in one specific task but great performance across everything you do, the RTX Spark has proven it will be a solid choice.

• Chinese chipmaker CXMT is predicted to be ramping up RAM production
• It could double memory production by 2028, we're told
• This extra RAM is likely to service the domestic market, though, and meanwhile, Dell's CEO is warning that the memory crisis is likely to persist to 2030

A major Chinese chipmaker has plans to expand its DRAM production in a big way over the next couple of years, but this won't be a silver bullet for wider RAM problems, and Dell's CEO is warning on the memory crisis getting worse, too.

First, the news on the Chinese company CXMT, which was flagged by P Equity Research on X (via Wccftech) in a post that highlights forecasts from Counterpoint Research and TrendForce.

According to those research firms, CXMT is set to expand its DRAM wafer production from around 320,000 units this year, to 420,000 units over the course of 2027.

That translates to a growth of just over 30% in a year, and the further prediction is that in 2028, production capacity might hit 500,000 to 600,000, so given that most optimistic scenario, it would nearly double compared to this year.

There's some excitement on that point because while others are focusing on HBM, or high-end RAM for the AI industry, this is an expansion of traditional RAM production, meaning the kind that'll go in a PC as opposed to a data center server.

However, before we start mulling the prospect of RAM supply being shored up to some extent, there are obvious caveats to consider here – including a new warning from Dell's CEO as mentioned at the outset.

Analysis: domestic relief – and more pessimism from Dell

The problem with CXMT is that even if the predicted near-doubling of RAM production does happen in 2028 as these analysts are theorizing, where is this memory going to end up?

Most likely it'll serve the domestic market in China, and the chances of it making any kind of a meaningful difference to the balance of RAM supply outside of Asia are minimal. China's own memory requirements are substantial, and as we've discussed before, the government is likely to exert its influence in terms of keeping local demand fulfilled rather than selling abroad.

And yes, while it's true that CXMT's RAM is being used by some manufacturers in the west already, it's on a very limited basis currently – and it isn't like it's some kind of a bargain, either. Indeed, the cost of CXMT's memory is reportedly much the same as what you'll pay if buying from Samsung.

Meanwhile, as Wccftech also picked up, the CEO of Dell, Michael Dell, added his voice to the growing consensus that the memory shortage will get worse next year, and that these RAM woes are going to be prolonged for quite some time.

Dell told the Wall Street Journal that memory supply problems could keep on making us miserable for up to four years, meaning until 2030. Again, this echoes some of the many negative calls on the RAM crisis which have been heard in the past few months.

CXMT expanding its RAM production in a beefy way certainly won't hurt, but it's unlikely to help the average consumer outside of China.

Meanwhile, as RAM continues to get pricier (somehow, even though the cost was already through the roof), it's worth considering workarounds to get more from your gaming PC.

It's been a theory for quite some time now that Nvidia is — what's the polite way to put this? — let's say deprioritizing PC gamers, perhaps, or more specifically, its gaming graphics cards. But this week has added more evidence to the collective weight that GeForce GPUs are increasingly at risk of being sidelined further by Team Green.

I'm talking first about the story that emerged a few days ago, where a leaker claimed Nvidia is diverting all GB202 (Blackwell) chips to make AI (RTX Pro) graphics cards. That's the graphics processor used in the RTX 5090, but apparently not anymore; it's for AI boards only now, we're told.

That makes some sense as the RTX 5090 is already disappearing from shelves, certainly in the US, where you can't buy one for less than the best part of 10 grand (from gouging third-party sellers, with no major retailers actually having stock anymore). So arguably this effective discontinuation of the RTX 5090 is already happening.

On top of that, the latest developments are that Micro Center is reportedly listing the Blackwell flagship as 'not carried', and Nvidia itself has removed all mention of the RTX 5090 from its own GPU marketplace (though it is still mentioned elsewhere on the site). Search for the RTX 5090 on that marketplace, and you won't find it any longer — the highest-end graphics card listed is now the RTX 5080 (hat tip to Wccftech for spotting this being flagged up on Reddit).

Aside from an actual announcement from Nvidia (which probably wouldn't ever happen anyway), that seems like about as clear an indication you can get that the RTX 5090 has been shoved out of the exit door, never to return, because Nvidia needs those GB202 chips where they are most profitable. RTX Pro GPUs offer a much heftier premium that Team Green can heap on top.

A new Blackwell flagship?

So, what does this mean? For starters, if it is true that the RTX 5090 has been scrapped, the RTX 5080 becomes the flagship Nvidia GeForce GPU. Once the existing stock of RTX 5090s has been depleted, this could mean the price of the RTX 5080 is inflated. When I say inflated, I mean jacked up even more, because it has already seen some nasty price hikes. Currently, the RTX 5080 is at around $1,800 in the US on Newegg, or £1,450 on Overclockers in the UK – and those are the lowest prices; it goes up from there. It's a very similar story in many other regions.

This is clearly a concern for gamers as you can see from the Reddit thread I pointed out above, with comments such as: "If you want a 5080 better buy one while you can still afford one." Really, it's debatable if the card is anything like 'affordable' relative to its graphical frame rate muscle even now.

Here's where another rumor comes into play. Elsewhere on the grapevine, there's talk that Nvidia may actually release the RTX 5080 Super variant which has long been speculated about. This would be a 24GB graphics card, and it'd essentially replace the discontinued RTX 5090 – with the theory being that Nvidia would also ditch the vanilla RTX 5080 (16GB). This would leave the rumored RTX 5080 Super as the sole high-end GeForce graphics card, quite some distance above the RTX 5070 Ti.

If that happens, imagine the pricing concerns here – what MSRP would Nvidia attach to the RTX 5080 Super? And then consider the cost inflation that will be added when you take into account that this card will also be sought after for AI usage (as seen with the RTX 5090).

If an RTX 5080 Super is indeed inbound for early 2027, that would also suggest that the next-gen RTX 6000 family is further away than some rumors believe – as this Super version would be a stopgap GPU to keep the Blackwell range ticking over. The RAM crisis may have a fair bit to do with this strategy also, given that most predictions foresee it getting worse next year (and the misery continuing into 2028, and maybe beyond). Of course, launching a new GeForce range into such memory headwinds wouldn't be easy.

Software focus and streaming dreams

All in all, it feels to me like there's a stream of subtle – and not so subtle – hints and rumors that Nvidia is very much slowing down the development of gaming GPUs (while not wanting to give that impression, naturally). The other part of the equation here is the increased focus on the software side, of course, rather than the hardware. DLSS 5 is out and Nvidia is already pushing hard with honing and refining that neural rendering tech, and something else that happened earlier this week was that Team Green highlighted some big leaps in performance here. Pretty huge strides forward, in fact.

Of course, you could argue that all the development resources being ploughed into DLSS – including frame generation, which got a hefty boost alongside DLSS 5 – shows Nvidia isn't abandoning gaming GPUs for PC gamers. And I concede that's true to an extent, but there is very much a vibe of a major slowdown leading towards the feared deprioritization of GeForce GPUs – and there's another angle to consider here too: cloud gaming.

Don't forget that GeForce Now also benefits from DLSS. Just this week, Nvidia added DLSS 4.5 override controls to the streaming service to help push up frame rates – those on the RTX 5080 (Ultimate) plan can use Dynamic Multi Frame Generation of up to 4x now. Ray Reconstruction for bolstering ray-traced visuals is available, too, among other options.

Would Nvidia rather have you subscribed to its cloud gaming service, making monthly payments, than buying a GeForce GPU for a one-off sum? It seems an obvious direction for the company to be heading in, and with increasing warning signs around Team Green's gaming GPUs, I'm becoming more convinced that this is where Nvidia's priorities are shifting for the future of PC gaming.

This isn't to say GeForce graphics cards are definitely on their way out, or that an RTX 6000 line-up won't happen – it's already well underway after all – but beyond the next generation, I'm increasingly dubious about where GeForce GPUs might fit into the big PC gaming picture. Between AI demand and cloud gaming (plus increasingly faster internet connections), there's a squeeze underway that could prove painful for the GeForce line-up – and the ongoing RAM crisis is hardly helping, either.

• Biomemory has unveiled DNA Shield, designed to provide offline, airgapped, secure storage of critical digital assets in synthetic DNA
• The company foresees challenges to the resilience those assets (also known as “cold data”) and has hinted at the introduction of what it calls Molecular IT
• Biomemory is a co-chair of the DNA Data Storage Alliance

Commercial DNA data storage company Biomemory has unveiled DNA Shield, a purpose-built synthetic DNA repository service that ensures critical digital assets remain untouched by cyber criminals and emerging technologies like artificial intelligence.

So-called cold data comprises 60% of all data in the world, and refers to information that cannot be altered. This might be passwords and biometrics or it could be incontrovertible data, facts, finances, and other material that serves as a record.

DNA Shield stores data in DNA, using an engineered encoding scheme that ensures it is biosecure – it’s a physical molecule that stores information long-term without power. Pilot slots have opened, ahead of a full service expected in 2027.

A shield of DNA

Biomemory has launched DNA Shield off the back of its acquisition of Boston-based DNA storage pioneer Catalog Technologies in March 2026, and aims to provide organizations with DNA storage of data.

Data could be biometric, it could be cryptographic keys, or it could be accounts. It might even be intellectual property, blueprints, unique or proprietary knowledge. Encrypting the data into synthetic DNA and storing as a medium that a million times denser than magnetic storage, offline and airgapped, is arguably the most secure storage available, potentially with a 150-year lifespan.

"DNA Shield is the moment Biomemory moves from proving a science to delivering a commercial product," notes Laurent Guengant, CEO of Biomemory. "Organizations need a way to hold their most critical digital assets, cryptographic keys, core intellectual property, regulated records, and long-term institutional memory, somewhere no single vendor, cloud, or system can reach, and to prove it still works over time.”

The molecular IT platform

Availability of the DNA Shield service is currently limited to a few pilots, running from October 15 2026 through to mid 2027. Biomemory tells us that a full service will proceed after that point, and its launch makes them the first company to launch a molecular IT product.

Vincent Franceschini, Vice President of Product Management at Biomemory and co-chair of the DNA Data Storage Alliance, said, "DNA Shield is built on the same molecular platform we have spent years industrializing, but it is the first time we are asking a customer to rely on it operationally rather than as a research demonstration. Getting that right, end to end, from encoding to authorized recovery, is what makes us the first company bringing Molecular IT to market."

Organizations interested in DNA Shield will be paying a subscription that starts at €10,000/month, and early access applications are open directly via Biomemory.

• Nvidia has considerably improved the AI model for DLSS 5
• This means the tech now offers up to 40% faster frame rates
• Team Green has also improved frame generation, and is bringing DLSS 5 to two new games: Hogwarts Legacy and Where Winds Meet

If you were wondering how soon Nvidia might start ramping up the performance of DLSS 5, well the answer is that it just happened.

Team Green's neural-rendering tech, which officially debuted in NBA 2K27, has only been out for just over a month, but Nvidia is claiming that it has doubled the performance of the AI that drives DLSS 5.

When it was first previewed in March 2026, DLSS 5 needed a pair of RTX 5090 GPUs to run, with the company improving the performance of the AI model by 5x for the release of the tech in NBA 2K27. With this latest update, it's now 10x more performant than that baseline.

Nvidia also made it clear that it has reduced the video memory (VRAM) usage of the tech considerably, noting that: "The DLSS 5 October update shrinks the [AI model] footprint by 24% to roughly 118 million parameters while reducing 4K VRAM usage by 20%. The result is half the GPU overhead of the September [launch] version while maintaining comparable visual fidelity."

Based on Nvidia's testing in NBA 2K27, that translates to boosts in frame rates in the order of 30% to 40%. Check out the video clip below to see the gains in the basketball game.

This new DLSS 5 model launches on October 16, with availability for RTX 5000 GPUs, RTX Spark laptops and the GeForce Now streaming service.

Nvidia also announced that DLSS 5 is being introduced for Hogwarts Legacy on November 5, and also Where Winds Meet in the "near future", although we aren't given a specific launch date in the latter case.

Finally, away from DLSS 5, Nvidia announced that it's bringing in a new performance mode for frame generation, speeding up the tech considerably. The company explains that this benefits from a "faster and lighter algorithm" that boosts frame rates even further, and that it'll offer up to 35% better frame rates with an RTX 5060.

This performance mode is called 'Preset C' in the Nvidia app's frame-generation override.

DLSS 5 is also coming to RTX Remix on October 23, meaning old games can get a graphical makeover with added neural-rendering goodness. That only makes sense. given that gamers have been fudging support (in various ways) with classic PC games anyway.

Analysis: a laudable step forward — but gamers want more

It's remarkable to see DLSS 5 performance being boosted so quickly, although Nvidia needed to act in this regard. One of the main criticisms of this tech has been that the performance hit is too hefty, and it requires a powerful RTX 5000 GPU to run smoothly enough — at a time when the prices of such graphics cards are getting rapidly more expensive.

That said, an increasing number of gamers seem to be accepting that DLSS 5 is worth the cost to the frame rate for the visual uplift. Those folks will doubtless be pleased with Nvidia's progress here, and likely wouldn't disagree with Team Green's assertion in its blog post that 2026 has been a "year of relentless DLSS innovation."

Of course, there are still skeptics who'd rather Nvidia didn't bring AI into play in this way with DLSS. And it's also true that these early optimizations are where the larger gains will be carved out, and as the AI model is further refined, performance improvements are likely to become a lot more modest.

There are also gamers out there who are asking whether, now that the AI model is much improved, this going to usher in wider support for Nvidia's older graphics cards? As this Redditor put it: "Great so could we get official support on the [RTX] 40 series now since the new model is so efficient?"

It's a good question, given that Nvidia has promised that after tuning RTX 5000 performance it's going to work on bringing support to the last-gen RTX 4000 range. I'm guessing this won't happen until early next year, though.

The other work on DLSS frame generation is obviously welcome, too, albeit the new 'Preset C' option has attracted some criticism for causing a bit more glitching and artifacts while boosting frame rates by a decent amount. Not everyone is seeing this, mind, and how obvious it is may be somewhat subjective going by reports (and it could obviously depend on the specific game, too).

At any rate, this preset should be useful for laptop gamers looking to further bolster frame rates with relatively modest Nvidia GPUs — and indeed, it's likely tied into the release of RTX Spark laptops to help their gaming chops.

If you’ve either recently upgraded, or are considering upgrading to, one of the fastest NBN plans, then you’ll understandably want to make the most of the improved speeds. That’s where the best mesh Wi-Fi systems come in, as they’re designed to deal with dead zones and slow internet, to ensure you get top performance throughout your home.

If this sounds like you, then I should also point out that while you’re looking for a mesh system, future-proofing your network with Wi-Fi 7 can ensure your investment will be even more worthwhile, especially if you’re on an NBN 1000 — or even an ultra fast NBN 2000 — plan.

Fortunately you don’t need to look far, as our pick for the best Wi-Fi 7 mesh system, the TP-Link Deco BE65, is currently discounted for a limited time, with the 3-pack available for AU$798.50.

AU$800 for some Wi-Fi routers may sound like a serious investment, but there's plenty here to justify the price tag. You're able to connect devices — think network attached storage (NAS) or desktop PCs, for example — directly to each of the units via four 2.5GbE wired ports to keep latency to a minimum.

The TP-Link Deco BE65 system also offers up to 11Gbps of total throughput, which is plenty enough bandwidth to handle multiple devices like computers, gaming consoles, TVs playing 4K video.

Also included in the BE65 are VPN support, parental controls and TP-Link’s HomeShield security and network management service.

There are more advanced features available via a subscription service (AU$4.99 per month or AU$29.99 per year) including advanced parental controls, although our reviewer found the free tier is already good enough for most households.

Why do I need a mesh Wi-Fi system?

A mesh Wi-Fi system helps cover a larger space compared to a standard router, using one or more satellite nodes (also known as extenders or points) to broaden your Wi-Fi coverage and get rid of weak spots. The idea is that you place them around your home, so that you get uninterrupted coverage as you move around.

Wi-Fi 7 meanwhile gives you more frequency bands — the common 2.4Ghz and 5Ghz, and a third 6Ghz — extra capacity for more connected devices, lower latency and more to ensure you maximise your NBN plan. The goal isn’t necessarily to improve speeds (although that is a certainly a benefit), but to ensure solid reliability and stability.

You will need Wi-Fi 7-compatible devices to take full advantage, however, and they are still few and far between as of 2026, but it’s a good bet for future-proofing. On the other hand, brands have started releasing Wi-Fi 8 networking gear, so you can expect to see Wi-Fi 7 equipment come down in price soon and make future-proofing slightly more affordable moving forward.

• Intel's CEO has said that AI hardware will be in short supply for the next 2 to 3 years
• Of course, this refers to the ongoing memory crisis, and consumers will get shorter shrift than AI players
• A new report from Barclays also shows that contract pricing for RAM has risen 24% over the past quarter for DDR4 (and 20% for DDR5)

Need more fuel to stoke the idea that the RAM crisis is here to stay? Doubtless you don't, but sadly we've had a couple more indications that the memory shortage will last for a depressingly long time, with Intel's CEO the latest to weigh in.

Wccftech reports that Intel's Lip-Bu Tan was speaking in Singapore at the Asia Future Forward event, a conference organized by DBS Bank, where the CEO discussed his thoughts regarding trends with AI – including the amount of memory it's eating up.

As flagged by Theresa Perrin on X, Tan observed that "AI hardware will stay in short supply for the next 2 to 3 years" — primarily referring to memory — and that this was "driven by persistent constraints in the underlying tech supply chain."

While the CEO is talking directly about RAM (as well as GPUs, and to an extent CPUs) used in data centers for AI applications, the fact that the AI industry is going to be short on supply for perhaps the next three years means that consumer RAM is going to be even thinner on the ground. It's no secret that the greater profits to be had by catering to the AI industry mean that this memory is the priority for chip makers.

Wccftech also noticed another post on X, from 456X, highlighting a new report from Barclays that shows contract pricing (from chip makers) for DDR4 RAM has risen 24% over the last three months, and that DDR5 has gone up 20%.

Barclays further observed that one of the big memory chip makers, Micron, will see its supply levels of RAM remain constrained through 2028. In other words, we can expect that memory supply is going to keep on being a major problem for the next two years, with 'through' 2028 meaning that this year is included in the gloomy prediction.

Analysis: yet more doom nuggets — and then there's the rise of the robots

The reported rises in the contract price of RAM according to Barclays match what we've seen at retail over the past few months, with some notable jumps in the price of DDR5 memory (which in Germany has reached a ridiculous level of 544% up on the price it was before the RAM crisis began last July).

What Barclays, and Intel's CEO, are now telling us is that this kind of pain is likely to continue, and that RAM supply will continue to be frustratingly short until 2029. Unfortunately these kinds of forecasts are becoming more commonplace, with pretty much everyone's view appearing to align with the idea of the RAM crisis hanging around until the end of the decade.

At the very least, we can expect 2027 to be a repeat of this year — meaning more memory prices hikes, and other components besides, such as GPUs — with 2028 likely to follow in a similar vein. Indeed, Micron has said as much itself, while letting us know that robots (or 'physical AI') will be eating up a lot of RAM supply in the future.

• A PC maker in the US says 'retail GPU pricing is expected to climb significantly'
• A further rumor suggests AMD just put up the cost of VRAM, which will affect the prices of graphics cards
• Rounding off a trio of fresh rumors is a claim that Nvidia has discontinued the RTX 5090

There have been a few developments in the GPU world over the weekend — and none of them bode well for the prices of graphics cards down the line.

For starters, Wccftech reports that according to the Board Channels — a reliable enough forum for chatter from the supply chain over in China — AMD has increased the cost of the GDDR6 video RAM it sells to board-making partners. This means that those graphics card makers will inevitably pass that cost on to consumers — if this rumor is accurate of course.

Bench Life further observes that more expensive VRAM isn't the only upward pricing pressure here, and that the cost of other graphics card components — including the main circuit board itself — is also rising.

Secondly, as Wccftech also noticed, we have a custom PC maker in the US, StinceBuilt, informing us on X that it is "starting to see increasing supply constraints on graphics cards" and that, "Retail GPU pricing is expected to climb significantly, and these elevated prices could stick around for quite some time."

Finally, VideoCardz highlighted another post on X from regular leaker MegaSizeGPU, who claims Nvidia will not allocate any more GB202 (Blackwell) chips to make the RTX 5090, and that all this silicon is going to be used in RTX Pro (AI) graphics cards.

In theory, that means it's the end of the line for the flagship RTX 5090, with its replacement (the RTX 6090 in theory) still quite some way off in the distance (a more recent rumor indicates that it's probably due to land in 2028).

Analysis: a cacophony of warning bells

Of all those sentiments, the last one needs the most seasoning, although it's believable enough that Nvidia is essentially canning the RTX 5090. By that I mean that if this is true, I don't think this will be an official (announced) discontinuation, but the way it'll play out is that Nvidia will allocate so few chips for the GeForce flagship that stock will effectively dwindle to next to nothing.

Arguably we're already seeing some evidence of this, certainly in the US where at Newegg, for example, you can't buy an RTX 5090 directly from the retailer, but only from third-party sellers (often in Asia). And the cost of the graphics card is tipping up towards $9,000, such is its scarcity — and you'll pay from £6,000 upwards in the UK, although at least stock is available to buy directly from retailers in that country. Still, I wonder how long that will last; and the idea of Nvidia pulling the plug on the RTX 5090 in a stealthy behind-the-scenes manner certainly feels like it's possible.

Meanwhile, the suggestion of AMD's Radeon GPU price rises backs up similar recent rumors, and the warning from the PC maker in the US that price tags are set to 'climb significantly' is another ominous addition to the warning bells that have been sounded of late.

I'm still very much of the opinion that it's a good idea to buy sooner rather than later, even though GPUs are already overpriced, because I fear that the situation could get substantially worse in 2027, as the grapevine indicates.

The key question is how long a recovery from these pricing pressures might take in the case of GPUs. Again, I have a suspicion that it might take a lot longer than we might hope.

We recently tested out the Ugreen NASync DXP8800 Ultra, and we found some striking similarities between this new NAS device and the older but no-less-excellent Plus model.

In his latest review, our expert Mark noted: "Ugreen has changed the engine, not the car. The Ultra is quicker and better equipped for the long haul, but the Plus still does almost everything it does for far less money."

So, we decided to take a look at which is the better buy for businesses. Both NAS devices support up to 272TB of storage, dual 10GbE networking, and Thunderbolt 4. The Ultra supports up to 96GB of RAM compared with 64GB on the Plus, but both offer the same maximum storage capacity and high-speed connectivity.

• Best for: Small businesses, studios, IT professionals, and creative teams needing centralized storage for large files, backups, media libraries, and multi-user access.

• The deal: The NASync DXP8800 Plus is now $1,370 (was $1,510) at Ugreen, saving you $140. The more powerful DXP8800 Ultra costs $1,780.

Which NAS we recommend

In his 4-star review, of the NASync DXP8800 Ultra, Mark explained: "Is the [Ultra] outlay worth the extra over the Plus? That entirely depends on how you intend to use this NAS. For those who just want file serving, it's probably not worth it. But for someone using virtualization and hosting AI, it might be an improvement they’ll pay for."

In summing up he said: "Where the DXP8800 Plus was a bolt from the blue, the DXP8800 Ultra’s arrival seems more measured. Ugreen kept everything that worked and refreshed the part that aged fastest, that being the processor, and with that change, it increased the memory ceiling.

"So is it worth the extra money? For most buyers, sadly it probably isn’t. The Plus still gives you eight bays, two M.2 slots, dual 10GbE, dual Thunderbolt 4 and a PCIe slot. File serving, backups, media streaming and a handful of containers run happily on either. The Ultra's extra speed will rarely be the bottleneck unless you use it in specific ways."

In his 4.5-star hands-on review for the Plus model, Mark ultimately found "a monster NAS with the potential capacity and bandwidth to drive a small business. This terrific hardware shows what can be achieved by repurposing mobile silicon for NAS."

Price context & historical value

The DXP8800 Plus normally costs $1,509.99, but Ugreen has reduced it to $1,369.99, a saving of $140, or approximately 9%. The DXP8800 Ultra costs $1,779.99, making it $410 more expensive than the Plus.

Remember that these are both diskless NAS, so you'll need to budget separately for the HDDs or SSDs required to actually store your files.

Which should you buy?

✅ Buy the Ugreen DXP8800 Ultra NAS if...

You need a powerful NAS for demanding business workloads, extensive multitasking, or applications that benefit from additional memory. Its newer Intel Core 7 150U processor and support for up to 96GB of DDR5 RAM give it a speed advantage over the Plus.

✅ Buy the Ugreen DXP8800 Plus NAS if...

You want a capable eight-bay NAS without paying extra for processing power and memory expansion you might never use. It supports the same 272TB maximum storage capacity, dual 10GbE networking, and Thunderbolt 4 connectivity as the Ultra, while costing a lot less.

• Shop all NAS products at Ugreen.

• IDC's latest figures show that PC shipments are down 20% year-on-year
• TrendForce predicts that next year is going to see further drops in PC sales and possible price hikes, which aligns with IDC's thinking
• If you're looking for a laptop, it might be a good idea to pull the trigger sooner rather than later – maybe during Black Friday

PC shipments have plunged dramatically, with analyst firms predicting that the sales of computers and laptops are set to slump next year as well.

PC Gamer noticed that IDC Research has a new report for Q3 of 2026 showing that global PC shipments are down 20.1% compared to the same quarter last year, dropping from 78.5 million units to 62.7 million.

The reason why is obvious: it's due to the RAM crisis and rising prices across a range of PC components (not just memory).

Another analyst firm, TrendForce, also produced a report (flagged by Wccftech) observing that the rising cost of those components threatens to weaken the demand for notebooks in 2027.

TrendForce claims that: "Global notebook shipments are currently projected to decline by a low-single-digit percentage in 2027."

However, the firm cautions that if RAM and CPU prices stay high (which seems almost inevitable), notebook makers "may be forced to pass more of these costs on to consumers", with high retail prices meaning fewer consumers buy new laptops – potentially pushing the drop in notebook sales to high single digits.

So, we could be looking at a near 10% drop in laptop sales next year, on top of an already gloomy picture and flagging sales for PCs as seen currently.

Analysis: act now or dig in for a lengthy wait

Both IDC and TrendForce observe that part of the problem for 2026 is that those looking at buying a new laptop purchased earlier in the year – due to the (very real) fear of price hikes coming in – meaning there are fewer sales now than there would normally have been. This is why there was a much sharper fall in Q3 compared to IDC's report for Q2 (although PC shipments were still down 3.8% year-on-year in that previous quarter).

Laptop makers are also running thin on components they purchased at lower prices (in anticipation of hikes, just like consumers), and so they are going to face worsening pressures on their profits margins due to rising RAM, storage and CPU costs. (TrendForce doesn't mention GPUs, but these will be a factor for some notebooks, notably gaming laptops, too). If they don't raise prices, laptop manufacturers will be forced to cut corners with specs.

TrendForce pulls out an interesting stat on the current state of play with the cost of building a laptop these days, namely that in a typical mid-to-upper-range ($900) notebook, 68% of the bill of materials (cost of the raw components) is taken up by the CPU, RAM and SSD. In other words, those core components now comprise two-thirds of the cost of the laptop.

IDC also predicts gloom for next year, or certainly the first half of 2027 anyway, noting that: "[PC] prices will remain elevated. With macro conditions worsening, the risk is that the outlook for the next few quarters gets worse before it gets better."

The only brighter spot here is that IDC says that with retailers worrying about "carrying too much inventory into a market where high prices are suppressing demand", we may see "promotions and some short-term relief for consumers" – meaning some possibly tempting Black Friday deals. Although the analyst firm makes it clear that pricing won't be "anywhere near what it was a year ago."

There will likely be some bargains to be had – we've seen some recently with Prime Day, and elsewhere for that matter – and if you are in the market for a laptop, it's looking like the smart move is to act on a decent deal if you see one for the type of notebook you're after.

Almost every prediction about the RAM crisis these days is negative, with a steadily growing weight of pessimistic sentiment, so unless a lot of analysts and industry pundits or insiders have got things very wrong, it's not a good idea to be waiting until next year to buy new hardware. Grab it now or hold out for the longer-term seems to be the right approach, certainly for laptops or PCs, and I'd say graphics cards, too.

It can't have escaped your attention that RAM prices are through the roof right now, but there are still deals to be found. Case in point, 32GB of Corsair Vengeance RGB DDR5-6000 RAM is on sale at Newegg, and if you apply a special coupon code, you can get an additional saving.

• Best for: PC gamers, content creators, and enthusiasts looking to upgrade a compatible Intel DDR5 desktop with faster dual-channel memory.

• The deal: 32GB of Corsair Vengeance RGB DDR5-6000 RAM is $475 (was $638) at Newegg with code FTTF8289.

• Why it matters: You get a substantial reduction on a memory kit that combines high-speed DDR5 operation with customizable RGB lighting and software-based performance controls.

Why we recommend it

32GB of Corsair Vengeance RGB DDR5 RAM includes two 16GB modules running at 6000MT/s, with CL36 latency and 36-44-44-96 timings. Operating at 1.35V, the kit is designed for DDR5-compatible Intel systems, including motherboards based on the Intel 600 and 700 series chipsets.

Intel XMP 3.0 support makes it easier to apply the kit's rated memory settings via a compatible motherboard's BIOS. Corsair also supports custom XMP profiles via its iCUE software. Each module has ten individually addressable LEDs beneath a panoramic light bar.

Price context & historical value

The Corsair Vengeance RGB DDR5-6000 kit was listed at $637.99 at Newegg before getting cut to $479.99, a reduction of $158. Using coupon code FTTF8289 reduces the cost by another $5, giving you a checkout price of $474.99. That represents a total saving of $163, or approximately 25.5%, against the original price. Fair in the current landscape, but it remains a lot higher than last year, before the memory crisis kicked in.

Should you buy it?

✅ Buy the Corsair Vengeance RGB if...

You're looking to upgrade an Intel-based desktop and need a 32GB DDR5-6000 kit with RGB lighting and software-based customization. The price is far from the cheapest it's ever been, but in 2026 any saving is welcome.

❌ Skip the Corsair Vengeance RGB if...

You're building a budget PC or don't need RGB lighting. A less expensive DDR5 kit without illuminated heatspreaders could provide similar capacity and speed for less money.

• Shop all desktop memory at Newegg

Amazon Prime Day is in full swing and while there are plenty of tempting deals to be had for all sorts of tech in general, the computing component side of the big sale is a depressingly barren place.

• Browse the full Amazon Prime Day sale

When it comes to the core components of a PC which have been hit hardest by the memory crisis – RAM sticks, SSDs, and GPUs – the deals which Amazon is offering may look like sizeable discounts on the face of it, but they aren't when you consider the pricing which these products were available at last year.

A case in point: the Samsung 9100 PRO 2TB SSD is currently half price at $335 (down from $680) at Amazon US, but a year ago, it was $165 in the Prime Day sale. So, in fact, this year you are paying twice as much as in 2025, which doesn't feel great.

That said, in the overall SSD landscape, this is now a decent price, which just shows how bad the RAM crisis has made everything.

Of course, the pricing of RAM itself is particularly painful. For example, there's a 64GB RAM kit (2 x 32GB modules) from Crucial on sale with 7% off at Amazon UK, but it's £690 after that discount. A year ago, that same kit was £170. Ouch.

A more commonplace 32GB kit (2 x 16GB) from Crucial is now on offer at Amazon UK with a 22% discount, bringing it down to £400 – while a year ago it was £108.

Let that sink in for a moment: it's an effective quadrupling of the prices in both these RAM examples.

As for GPUs, the Asus Prime RX 9070 XT Gaming graphics card has a 23% discount on Amazon US, reducing it to $829. Yet in the Prime Day sale a year ago, this was at $690 (and it actually dropped to $649 for the holiday season on Amazon, so it's now close to 30% pricier than that when it's on sale).

What a difference a year makes, and sadly a very negative difference, but while it's undeniably bleak out there, thankfully there are a few deals worth considering for Prime Day components in the US and UK.

I'll list them below, and they include what might be the best deals you'll get on a mid-range and a higher-end GPU for possibly quite a long time (depending on how the RAM crisis continues to affect video memory, and the latest hints aren't good).

Today's best Prime Day PC component deals in the US

More Prime Day deals in the US

• Amazon Devices: Fire Sticks & Echo from $18
• Amazon Haul: viral gadgets, tech & appliances from $1.36
• Apple: MacBooks, AirPods & AirTags from $28
• Cheap TVs: smart TVs from $69.99
• Headphones: 50% off Beats, Bose & Samsung
• Laptops: Apple, HP & Dell from $199
• Mattresses: Sealy, Serta & more from $89
• Smartwatches: up to 36% off Garmin & Apple
• Vacuums: Dyson, Shark & Bissell from $49

Today's best Prime Day PC component deals in the UK

More Prime Day deals in the UK

• Amazon Prime: get a 30-day free trial
• Amazon Devices: up to 67% off Fire, Ring & Blink
• Amazon Haul: extra 15% off for Prime members
• Appliances: up to 40% off Ninja & De'Longhi
• Beauty: up to 60% off Philips & Oral-B
• Essentials: cleaning & groceries from £2
• Fashion: up to 50% off
• Gaming: record-low Nintendo Switch 2
• Headphones: up to 50% off Anker & Sony
• Laptops: up to £800 off Microsoft & Asus
• Tablets: up to 50% off Fire tablets
• TVs: from £129.99
• Vacuums: up to 50% off Shark & Dyson
• Wearables: Samsung & Oura from £31

• AMD's CEO said that the company plans to 'substantially increase' its chip supply in 2027
• Sadly this is chips for AI and data center usage, not consumer products
• If anything this is bad news for Radeon GPUs and Ryzen CPUs, as it's AMD underlining its commitment to the AI sphere

AMD's CEO has assured us that the company is going to increase chip production in 2027, but while that might sound great on the face of it, this isn't good news for consumers.

That's because CEO Lisa Su was talking about making chips for AI usage in data centers, not consumer processors or graphics cards.

Yahoo Finance reports that AMD has been expanding its chip production for AI and that Su said: "We've been able to increase our supply as we've gone through 2026, and we're going to substantially increase our supply in 2027."

This was a comment made to the press during a visit to Taiwan, and the chief executive made it clear that part of the reason for her trip – which included a visit to Foxconn and TSMC – was to make sure AMD's supply of CPU and GPU production could be increased to meet greater AI demand.

The next stop on the CEO's trip is South Korea, where Su will look to shore up memory chip supplies and is set to meet with Samsung and SK Hynix.

On the broader topic of how AI is impacting us all, Su said that it could be "incredibly good for the world" while at the same time cautioning on the risks and the need to cooperate on the safety of this technology.

Analysis: consumers in the cold

There's no mention of consumer products – Radeon GPUs and Ryzen CPUs – here, and the fact that AMD is clearly focused on beefing up AI supply is bad news for the typical PC owner. If anything it might mean that next year is an even leaner time for chip supply for consumer products, especially given all the negative chatter there's been of late talking about memory chip supply in particular looking like it'll considerably worsen next year.

Of course, none of this is surprising – there's a lot more profit in AI accelerators (graphics cards), of course, and as a business, Team Red can hardly afford to ignore that. But it does underline AMD's commitments, and PC owners on Reddit have voiced their displeasure in no uncertain terms.

As one Redditor put it: "Yeah I have a feeling the consumer market will end up being 'whatever the data centers consider obsolete' soon. We might have to contend with buying used data center CPUs and GPUs soon."

Okay, so that's going a bit far. And yes, others are quick to note that you can't just stick an old data center GPU in a PC and run it – there are issues around the implementation and cooling, display output (which isn't needed for a data center card), and the fact that many of these AI GPUs simply can't run games at all. But the point remains: consumers are indeed getting the short end of the stick due to the AI boom, and that's been the case since the invention of the likes of ChatGPT and other LLMs.

It doesn't sound like the situation is going to get any better next year, and that's just another worry to throw on the towering pile of memory price concerns that has been steadily growing in height as this year progresses.

Upgrading an SSD is usually straightforward once you get inside your PC, but moving everything from the old drive can make the job more complicated. PNY's CS2241 Complete Upgrade Kit addresses that problem by providing the hardware and software needed to transfer your existing data before installing the new drive.

• Best for: Anyone upgrading or replacing an existing laptop/desktop SSD who wants to transfer their files and OS rather than starting over from scratch.

• The deal: The 1TB PNY CS2241 Complete Upgrade Kit is now $136 (was $160) at Amazon.

• Why it matters: Unlike a bare SSD, the package includes a USB 3.2-to-NVMe transfer adapter and Acronis software, giving you the tools required to clone your existing drive before swapping it out.

Today's best internal SSD deal

Why we recommend it

The CS2241 is a PCIe Gen4 x4 NVMe M.2 2280 SSD capable of sequential read speeds up to 5,100MB/s and sequential writes up to 3,200MB/s. It's designed for compatible laptops and desktop PCs and can also be used in PCIe Gen3 systems. Actual performance will depend on your computer, configuration, operating system, and applications.

PNY backs the drive with a five-year limited warranty or TBW coverage, along with US-based technical support.

Price context & historical value

Amazon's Prime Day price drops the kit from $159.99 to $135.99, knocking $24 off the usual price.

That's around $0.14 per GB before accounting for the additional value of the adapter and cloning software. Those extras are particularly useful if you plan to replace your computer's current system drive rather than simply installing it as additional storage.

For more options, take a look at our roundups of the best SSDs and fastest SSDs.

Should you buy it?

✅ Buy PNY's 1TB SSD if...

If you're replacing an existing SSD and want a straightforward way to move your current installation onto the new drive. The included adapter and Acronis software offer everything you'll need for the task.

❌ Skip PNY's 1TB SSD if...

If your computer doesn't have a compatible M.2 NVMe slot, or you already own the equipment and software required to clone a drive. If you're simply adding storage, a bare SSD will make more sense.

Also consider

• Shop all internal SSDS at Amazon

Our online worlds are becoming increasingly complex and far-reaching. That can make it difficult for your average Joe, like you and me, to maintain the level of protection that we need to stay safe online. All we used to have to worry about was staying free of viruses, but now there are a whole host of threats to think about, including identity theft.

Thankfully, we don't have to fight this alone. With a Webroot package, now with up to 50% off, you can stay protected for less than you'd think. Choose either the Essentials, Premium, or Total Protection packages with varying cover to suit a range of customers.

With this deal, you can get one-device protection for as little as $34.99/year, or if you'd like cover for five devices, it'll cost you $64.99/year. Click through to the Webroot website to see exactly what features are available in each package.

Up to 50% off at Webroot

We reviewed Webroot antivirus software last year and gave it an impressive four stars, praising its speed, features, and the dedicated password manager. In fact, we called it "small, speedy, and efficient" with "a stack of surprising extras". Don't just take our word for it, though; Webroot was ranked number one in the recently released July 2025 PassMark study.

Webroot is a powerful, cloud-based antivirus that protects customers across PCs, Macs, tablets, Chromebooks, and smartphones. With Password Manager and Web Threat Shield baked in, Webroot empowers people to live their best digital life online without the fear of falling victim to viruses, ransomware, phishing, and more.

Sound good? Get it now with up to 50% off.

• A source at a major Chinese chip maker says the firm "expects the global memory shortage will last for at least another three years"
• On top of that, analyst firm TrendForce is suggesting "meaningful price increases" are coming for RAM in the final quarter of 2026
• The cloud giants in the US are providing the increased demand that's pushing up Q4 pricing

A source at one of the big Chinese memory chip makers has warned that the firm anticipates the RAM shortage will last through until the end of the decade — and we've heard some gloomy nearer-term news from TrendForce, too.

TweakTown highlighted a post from Jukan on X (who works at analyst firm Citrini Research), which in turn pointed to a report from The Wire China.

This cites an employee at YMTC in China who said that the company "expects the global memory shortage will last for at least another three years". YMTC has just pushed up pricing for its chips, the source says — to no one's surprise — and is shifting its production towards chips with a higher profit margin.

Jukan ties this specifically to NAND production — for SSDs — but the quoted comment refers more broadly to the memory crisis (meaning RAM sticks as well). As TweakTown points out, though, the purported impact on SSDs is particularly relevant seeing as YMTC is now the third biggest global NAND chip supplier behind only Samsung and SK Hynix.

Other predictions, such as from analyst firm TrendForce, forecast NAND supply coming back into balance later in 2027, but that notion is very much being questioned here.

Speaking of TrendForce, Jukan also flagged a new report from the company that labels DRAM supply as 'very tight', noting that: "Suppliers' early-stage discussions on 4Q26 contract pricing point to meaningful price increases, suggesting strengthening demand momentum, particularly from US CSPs."

In other words, the big cloud service providers (CSPs) are the main force behind the increased demand that's pushing fourth-quarter RAM pricing to meaningful price hikes.

Analysis: negative chatter continues to align

'Meaningful' price rises for RAM sounds ominous, mainly because memory pricing has already risen painfully over the last few months. If you recall, going by the German market, DDR5 memory is a ridiculous 544% up on the price it was before the RAM crisis began — so the thought of further increases feels, well, even more ludicrous. But here we are.

We can seemingly expect SSDs to get more costly as well, going by the leak from YMTC, although it's worth noting that it's in the company's interest to talk up its future prospects and profits (as it heads into an IPO). That said, this isn't an official statement, but a leak (though it could have been intentionally leaked, cynics would doubtless argue).

The fact of the matter is that more memory-related misery is believable enough these days, as all predictions are very much slanted towards more price hikes for the remainder of 2026 and into 2027. The view that we have at least another three years of this crisis to weather — taking us all the way to 2030 — is one also shared by other analysts and industry figures, including Nvidia's CEO (and those in the world of SSDs).

The 1TB Samsung T9 SSD combines a compact design with modern connectivity and fast read and write speeds. If you're looking for a good price, it's on sale ahead of Amazon's Big Deal Days right now.

• Best for: Professionals, students, photographers, and creators who need very fast, compact external storage for transferring and working with large files.

• The deal: The 1TB Samsung T9 Portable SSD is now £192 (was £240) at Amazon.

• Why it matters: The T9 can reach sequential read and write speeds of up to 2,000MB/s over USB 3.2 Gen 2x2, making it particularly useful for large photo and video files.

Today's best Samsung portable SSD deal

Why we recommend it

The T9 SSD can deliver sequential read and write speeds of up to 2,000MB/s when connected to compatible hardware, which makes it a good choice for anyone transferring or working with large files.

It comes in a compact enclosure measuring approximately 8.8 x 6 x 1.4cm and Samsung provides a five-year manufacturer's guarantee, which is reassuring.

In his four-star review, our expert Mark said the "positive features of this drive are great read speeds and its ability to sustain write performance, especially on the larger capacities. It’s also capable of handling knocks, although Samsung doesn’t claim it is waterproof."

Price context & historical value

This isn't the lowest ever price, but it's as low as we've seen it this year - back in November 2025 it dropped to £86, but that was before the component crisis sent prices skyrocketing. For comparison, it's currently on sale at Argos for £205 and at Currys it's £209 so Amazon is the best place to grab it right now.

For more shopping options, take a look at our roundup of the best portable SSDs, and the fastest external SSDs.

Should you buy it?

✅ Buy the Samsung T9 Portable SSD if...

If you regularly transfer large files, edit high-resolution photos or video, or want fast portable storage for moving between computers. The T9 is particularly suited to demanding workloads.

❌ Skip the Samsung T9 Portable SSD if...

If you mainly want somewhere to keep documents and occasional backups. A slower portable SSD will usually cost less, and you won't benefit from the T9's full performance if your computer doesn't support USB 3.2 Gen 2x2.

• See all external SSD deals at Amazon

• Those buying an RTX 5090 at Micro Center now have to fill out a declaration form
• This includes having a government-issued photo ID scanned by the retailer
• Some approve of the policy as it's an anti-scalping measure, but others view it as an annoyance or a pointless move

If you're buying an Nvidia RTX 5090, or a PC with the graphics card inside, over in the US, you may have to fill out an official form to declare that you don't intend to export and resell the GPU – or at least you will at Micro Center.

PC Gamer spotted the 'advanced computing product purchaser declaration' which a Redditor was forced to complete and sign – including a scan of their driving license for ID – when buying a PowerSpec AI90 workstation PC with an RTX 5090.

The Micro Center store was in Tustin, California, but someone else posting on the Reddit thread claims that the same form has been introduced at the Columbus, Ohio store.

Apparently this is a new policy that only started this week at Micro Center (but seemingly other retailers already follow this practice in the US, including Central Computers).

In case you hadn't guessed, this move is about trying to prevent scalpers from buying up the RTX 5090, or PCs containing it – which can be around the same price as the standalone GPU these days, and are sometimes the only way of getting this graphics card at all – in order to sell it on to China and turn a profit.

Analysis: a pain in the neck, or a valid anti-scalper tactic?

As some of the commenters on Reddit are quick to point out, this form isn't legally binding, and there are question marks over how any of this might be enforced. Somebody breaking the terms of the agreement is likely to just shrug their shoulders about the consequences, perhaps.

However, as PC Gamer notes, the use of the ID check is certainly a deterrent of sorts for GPU exporters. And what this is doing is preventing people who are making a short trip to the US buying an RTX 5090 and selling it on when they get back home for a hefty mark-up. Those people won't be able to provide a US address and government photo ID that can be verified as belonging to them, of course.

The fact remains that it's a bit of a pain for Micro Center's customers to have to go through this form filling and ID check, although that said, some of the folks on the above Reddit thread don't have a problem with the process given that it's an anti-scalping measure. Others are concerned about having to give a retail store personal information for an unnecessary reason as they see it, or they're just annoyed and think it's a waste of time. As one Redditor put it: "This is ridiculous."

Going by the Reddit thread, another measure Micro Center enforces is that there's only one purchase of an RTX 5090 GPU per customer full-stop, forever. Once you've bought one, you can never buy another, we're told.

Working from home, for me at least, means the coffee machine is never far away. I drink plenty of the stuff — cappuccinos, lattes, macchiatos and so on. I currently have an espresso to the left of me as I write this. And since today is International Coffee Day, I've picked out some of my favorite brewing essentials, starting with Ninja's Pod and Grounds Coffee Maker.

• Best for: Anyone working from home who wants the convenience of K-Cups alongside the flexibility to use ground coffee and make a wider variety of drinks.

• The deal: The Ninja Pod & Grounds Coffee Maker is now $100 (was $130) at Amazon.

• Why it matters: Four brew styles let you switch between regular, richer, iced, and concentrated coffee, while the fold-away milk frother expands your options for coffeehouse-style drinks.

My top coffee maker deal for International Coffee Day

Why we recommend it

Ninja's coffee maker gives you the convenience of using pods or your favorite grounds. There are Classic, Rich, Over Ice, and Specialty settings, with the latter producing a concentrated coffee for making coffeehouse-style drinks. The built-in fold-away frother works with hot or cold milk (and dairy alternatives) and can be removed for cleaning.

There's even integrated storage for the brew basket or permanent filter when it isn't being used, and it's compact, too, measuring just 5.51 inches wide it won't take up too much space on your countertop.

Price context & historical value

Amazon has cut the price of the coffee maker from $129.99 to $99.98. The package includes the built-in frother, Ninja Scoop, removable brew basket, Ninja pod adapter, and permanent filter, so you have everything you need to start brewing your favorite coffee combinations. It has been as low as $79.98 in the past, but not recently.

For more shopping options, check out our guides to the best espresso machines and the best coffee makers.

Should you buy it?

✅ Buy the Ninja Pod and Grounds Coffee Maker if...

You work from home and want more choice than you'd get from a basic pod machine. Ninja's device handles four K-Cup sizes from 6oz to 12oz, and using grounds expands the choice to six sizes ranging from 6oz to a substantial 24oz which will keep you going for those days when one cup just isn't enough.

❌ Skip the Ninja Pod and Grounds Coffee Maker if...

You regularly need to brew an entire pot for several people. Ninja's device is better suited to making individual drinks rather than producing multiple cups.

More coffee maker deals

Complete your WFH coffee station

• Shop all coffee makers at Amazon

• Micron has warned that the RAM shortage will get much worse in 2027 and 2028
• Then coming to the end of the decade, robots are going to put more strain on memory supply
• So-called 'physical AI' could need 200GB+ of DRAM and multiple terabytes of storage per unit, Micron predicts

Micron just published its latest financial results, complete with some predictions for the future of the RAM crisis that aren't going to prove very comforting for consumers.

Wccftech reports that Micron, which is one of the three big memory chip makers, just revealed its results for fiscal Q4 2026 with predictably booming profits — and some not-so-obvious predictions about the RAM shortage.

As flagged on X by Eric Jhonsa, a portfolio manager for a Dutch asset corporation, in Micron's accompanying guidance the company observed: "We expect memory and storage supply-demand conditions to be much tighter in calendar 2027 and 2028 than they were in 2026."

Micron also said: "Even with additional industry DRAM cleanroom space plans, with robust demand trends including new upside requests from customers, we do not have line of sight to when supply and demand will return to balance."

Also highlighted on X by Shay Boloor, who is chief market strategist at Futurum Equities, Micron made the point that even if the current AI bubble deflates, lessening RAM demand for servers in data centers as a result, there could still be a high level of demand from 'physical AI' — meaning robots.

We're told that "humanoid robots could need 200GB+ of DRAM and multiple terabytes of storage per unit with several physical AI customers already sampling next gen products", and that this could become a "significant driver of memory and storage demand by the end of this decade."

Analysis: robot RAM drain

In short, Micron is saying that RAM supply is going to be tight not just in 2027 — which has been a widespread prediction — but also in 2028. Granted, 2028 has been forecast as a gloomy year in general, but from what Micron is saying here, the company is putting this year on a level with 2027 in terms of the memory shortage, and next year is set to be pretty dire by all accounts.

This is feeding more into the RAM crisis lasting until 2030 narrative (one of the earliest mentions of this came from Nvidia's CEO), and the comment about robots further reinforces this. Even if the demand to drive AI falls away somewhat so data centers aren't gobbling up so much memory, the overall strain on RAM supply may remain due to an uptake of robots, which will also need a lot of memory.

The one thing I would say is that Micron may be exaggerating somewhat in terms of talking up the timeframe on the usage of robots here. After all, in these kinds of forecasts, it's in the firm's interest to build up its future prospects and drive more investment.

Clearly, though, Micron is in a very strong position, and robots are something that's on the radar. And with there being a great deal of doubt as to whether the AI bubble is going to burst at all — depending on who you listen to — this is just another concern for consumers (alongside robots taking over jobs to boot).

It seems clear enough that RAM won't be reaching affordable pricing levels for a long time yet.

• Borderless Gaming is a tool that's sold on Steam
• It just got an add-on to easily fudge DLSS 5 to work with various PC games
• Reviews of the tool have turned rather colorful, as those who still hate DLSS 5 and all it stands for are chipping in

You can't have missed all the chatter about experimenting with Nvidia's DLSS 5 in all sorts of different PC games, and if you've felt the urge to join in but have been too intimidated by the idea of fudging the tech to work, a solution is now at hand.

VideoCardz noticed that Borderless Gaming, a tool that's sold via Steam – it's used to facilitate gaming in a borderless window, as the name indicates – now has DLSS 5 support. Or, as the developer put it: "DLSS 5 Neural Rendering for Everyone."

The dev notes that: "DLSS 5 Neural Rendering is now available in Borderless Gaming – without replacing game DLLs, modifying game files, or needing a game-specific mod. Install the effect, select the preset, and apply it to your game."

Borderless Gaming applies DLSS 5 directly through its own BGFX pipeline, the developer explains, rather than forwarding requests to Nvidia's DLLs.

In short, this is DLSS 5 being fudged in about as no-fuss a manner as can be, save for the fact that you have to buy and install the app, of course. This implementation shouldn't be confused with native DLSS 5 support, because it's simply a workaround to bring the neural rendering technique into play (with variable results as you might expect).

Note that the Borderless Gaming app doesn't actually come with this built-in, but after installing the tool itself, you need to also download the appropriate effect (DLSS5-NR v0.2.1 currently) from GitHub here (installation instructions are provided at that link).

Analysis: catching some of the DLSS 5 hate

According to the developer, this implementation can work on a wide range of GPUs – not just the officially supported RTX 5000 models – and an RTX 3090 can hit around 30fps typically with DLSS 5 turned on. Obviously the frame rate will vary massively depending on the game and graphics settings, but the gist is that you can get something playable on the RTX 3090.

It's a neat enough solution by the looks of it, although as ever, if you're curious, I have to issue my usual warning about third-party apps here: download and use them at your own risk.

Borderless Gaming is an app that's been around for a long time, but the Steam reviews have turned distinctly colorful of late – with some of that color revolving around this latest move with DLSS 5. As one reviewer puts it: "Added DLSS 5 for no reason but to make games look worse... Slop." (Hence the above clarification that DLSS 5 isn't actually added to the app itself at all).

Nvidia's DLSS 5 was controversial when it was first announced, although the reception to its neural rendering trickery has warmed up considerably since it went live in a game (NBA 2K27). There are still haters out there, though, as the Steam reviews for Borderless Gaming illustrate.

It's also a fair question whether Nvidia might take action against projects like this, which are going further in terms of tweaking and playing about with DLSS 5 tech. It's likely that for now, with DLSS 5 getting a greater level of positivity from many of the gaming experimenters out there, Team Green might let it slide – at least for the time being.

If you have years of photos, videos, backups and other large files, a 24TB external hard drive gives you an enormous amount of room to store them on, without having to install internal drives or resort to pricey paid cloud storage.

Best for: Professionals who needs huge amounts of desktop storage for backups, photographs, videos and other large files without installing an internal drive.

The deal: The Seagate 24TB Expansion External Desktop Hard Drive is now $690 (was $830) at Best Buy.

Why it matters: A single 24TB drive provides enough capacity to store large archives and backups that might otherwise be spread across several smaller drives or hosted online.

Today's best Seagate external HDD deal

Why we recommend it

Seagate has proved a strong storage maker during our tests, so this one's an easy recommendation if you need a hard drive.

24TB is enough space for extensive media collections, large creative archives and multiple computer backups, making it particularly useful for a home office or anyone producing large amounts of content.

Setup is straightforward as well — connect the drive to your Windows PC or Apple Mac, and you can start transferring files immediately. Seagate also includes its Toolkit software if you want full control over your backups.

The drive is powered by an external adapter, so it's intended to stay on a desk rather than travel around with a laptop.

Price context & historical value

The $139.97 reduction from $829.96 to $689.99 works out at almost 17% off, bringing the cost down to around 2.9 cents per GB. That sounds like a great saving, but context is important here. At the end of December 2025, Best Buy sold the same hard drive for just $279.99, reduced from $329.99. That makes today's $689.99 deal a stunning $410 more expensive than that previous sale price — or around 146% higher.

The comparison shows just how dramatically storage prices have changed in a year. So while you're saving nearly $140 against today's regular price, this is far from the cheapest deal ever.

For more shopping options, take a look at our roundup of the best external hard drives.

Should you buy it?

✅ Buy the 24TB Seagate External HDD if...

You need a huge amount of storage now and would rather keep everything on a single external drive than manage several smaller ones. The USB 3.0 connection also provides considerably more bandwidth than the mechanical hard drive itself requires for file transfers.

❌ Skip the 24TB Seagate External HDD if...

You can wait for storage prices to improve or for a better, bigger promotion. This is a desktop hard drive rather than a portable model so requires the supplied 18W power adapter as well as a USB connection. You can't simply plug it into your laptop and use it anywhere.

Also consider

• Shop all external hard drives at Best Buy
• See all external hard drives at Amazon

Nvidia made waves earlier this year when it announced the Nvidia RTX Spark, a new ARM-based SoC for small form factor PCs and laptops, and no one should be more concerned than Apple.

The Cupertino tech giant has enjoyed a very strong position when it comes to laptop sales for a while now thanks to its own ARM-based silicon, the Apple M-series.

With the refreshed Mac mini now on sale with the new Apple M6 chip, there’s going to be a lot of interest from creatives and developers around these two platforms, so I’m here to break down everything you need to know about the Nvidia RTX Spark vs Apple M6.

NVIDIA RTX SPARK VS APPLE M6: PRICE & AVAILABILITY

Neither SoC from either company is available on its own, so how much you pay will be entirely dependent on the PC or laptop it comes in, with things like memory and storage upgrades playing an outsized role in the final price.

The Apple M6 is only available in the new Mac mini (2026) for now, and it starts at $899/£899/AU$1,449 for the 16GB/256GB model. Adding more memory and storage will cost you extra, with the highest-spec M6 Mac mini featuring 24GB of unified memory for an extra $200/£200/AU$300, and an upgrade to 32GB for an extra $380/£400/AU$600.

Upgrading to 512GB SSD storage will add $200/£200/AU$300 to the price, while 1TB and 2TB will add $500/£500/AU$750 and $1,000/£1,000/AU$1,500 to the price, respectively.

Meanwhile, Nvidia is relying on its third-party partners to produce the PCs and laptops that will feature the Nvidia RTX Spark, so the prices will vary greatly among manufacturers, as well as which RTX Spark N1X core configuration is used (there will be an 18 CPU-core/5,120 CUDA-core entry configuration, and a more powerful 20 CPU-core/6,144 CUDA-core configuration).

While many units have been announced from Dell, Acer, and others, there's been no firm pricing yet, and much like the Mac mini, the amount of RAM the PC or laptop is configured with is going to have a major impact on its price. The first Nvidia RTX Spark devices are expected to go on sale in October, and some early indicators put the starting price of RTX Spark laptops and mini PCs at around $2,000/£2,000/AU$3,000.

• Advantage: Apple M6

NVIDIA RTX SPARK VS APPLE M6: SPECS

Fortunately, when it comes to specs, we know just about everything between these two SoCs, so we can do a proper side-by-side comparison of the Nvidia RTX Spark vs Apple M6.

As you can see above, Nvidia RTX Spark has a lot of hardware advantages versus the Apple M6. With nearly twice as many CPU cores on the premium configuration, almost four times the maximum memory headroom, and larger memory bandwidth, the Nvidia RTX Spark chips start out well ahead of the Apple M6 when it comes to specs—and that’s before we discuss the RTX Blackwell GPU.

Apple does have an advantage when it comes to maximum clock frequency, however, running nearly 800MHz faster than the best Nvidia chip. Will it be enough though? That remains to be seen.

• Advantage: Nvidia RTX Spark

NVIDIA RTX SPARK VS APPLE M6: PERFORMANCE

So far, I’ve only been able to benchmark the Apple M6 myself, as the new Mac mini went on sale on September 22, so there’s not a whole lot I can say definitively about the Nvidia RTX Spark vs Apple M6 when it comes to performance, but we’re not entirely in the dark here.

The RTX Spark N1X is essentially the Nvidia DGX Spark SoC, though it is running at a lower wattage for laptops (45W to 80W TDP, roughly, compared to the desktop DGX Spark’s 140W TDP). For RTX Spark desktops and mini PCs, I expect the TDP for the N1X to come close to or match the GDX’s 140W TDP.

Since we do know a lot about the performance of the GDX Spark across various workloads, we can expect the RTX Spark N1X to perform similarly, at least in small form factor PCs. What’s more, we also have some leaked benchmarks for the two RTX Spark N1X SKUs from Geekbench 7.

Note: RTX Spark N1X 3DMark scores estimated from RTX 5070 and RTX 5070 Ti laptop GPU benchmark results

As you can see, the Nvidia RTX Spark chips handle themselves very well against the Apple M6 in terms of GPU performance, though I need to caveat those results since they are approximations based on the listed core counts for the two SoCs’ GPUs. We don’t have benchmarks for these chips yet in 3DMark, but the GPU is built on the same architecture as Nvidia RTX 50 series laptop GPUs, and so we can ballpark where the N1X’s GPU is likely to end up given the number of CUDA cores they have available.

It’s also worth noting that the Nvidia RTX Spark’s multi-core performance definitely benefits from the increased core count over the Apple M6. However, the Apple M6 has a substantially better single-core performance, clocking in about 56% faster than the premium 20-core Nvidia chip.

This is going to translate to substantially better in-app performance for things like Adobe Photoshop and will help with agentic AI when an agent is processing a prompt or reasoning out a response, as these are inherently single-core dependent.

However, agentic AIs rarely work alone without some assistance from sub-agents, sandboxes, and other concurrently operating tools, which is where the multi-core performance of the Nvidia RTX Spark will definitely come in handy.

Of course, it also goes without saying that Nvidia’s distinct advantage over Apple when it comes to AI hardware thanks to native CUDA processing can’t be understated. Apple’s M6 might perform very well, but it will not be able to keep up with an Nvidia GPU that has up to 128GB of available memory.

And for gaming, well, Apple has really struggled to break Window’s stranglehold on PC gaming, and the Apple M6 doesn’t change that in the slightest, giving the Nvidia RTX Spark the edge there almost by default.

• Advantage: Nvidia RTX Spark

NVIDIA RTX SPARK VS APPLE M6: EARLY VERDICT

It remains to be seen how well the two Nvidia RTX Spark chips fare in real world testing, but early signs are very promising for Nvidia’s first SoC for the consumer market.

Apple isn’t out for the count just yet, either, and it will still hold the edge on price since the Nvidia RTX Spark is going to need a lot of very expensive RAM to process those 170B parameter models.

If you’re a more mainstream user who is just looking for a great PC for productivity, school work, and the like, the Apple M6 is the platform to go for.

Nvidia’s RTX Spark appears to be far more of a professional product with some gaming bolted onto the side, and it will surely have a price to match, so you only really need to consider the Nvidia RTX Spark if you can tell the difference between inference and model training. If you have to look those terms up, the RTX Spark isn’t really for you, but if those two are exactly what you plan on doing with your next device, you really can’t do any better than the Nvidia RTX Spark - as long as devices that include it are reasonably priced.

Normally we get to this time of year and the typical advice is to hold fire on any potential tech purchases. This is because Black Friday is just a couple of months away, and so it always seems prudent to think about being patient, and the bargain you might just secure in the biggest tech sale of the year.

Not this year, though, when it comes to GPUs – at least in my opinion.

During Black Friday 2025, we did see some decent deals on graphics cards. Not many, mind, but there was a scattering of them. I've noticed on Reddit that there are some gamers who have found a GPU with a decent price tag, but they're wondering whether to hold off and wait for something better on Black Friday. They are perhaps remembering some of the discounts that happened last year (thin on the ground as they were).

For example, this US-based Redditor asks: "Buy an open box [Nvidia RTX] 5070 now or wait until Black Friday?" They add: "I see a few open box deals for $745. What do people think about snagging this now at such an inflated price, or waiting until Black Friday to try and snag under $700?"

If you're in a similar quandary, my advice is this: absolutely do not wait for Black Friday. Just buy that graphics card now.

Let's break down the reasons why this isn't a 'waiters' market (by which I mean those biding their time, not the lovely people who serve us food and drinks).

Reasons to be fearful

For starters, as a legion of cynical Redditors are quick to point out, Black Friday isn't the best for graphics card deals anyway – it has never been the strongest suit for this sale in terms of PC components.

As noted, there have been bargains in the past though. Despite those Redditors who insist that GPUs just have their prices quietly upped in October so they can be artificially 'discounted' for Black Friday, there are actually some genuinely decent deals – or there have been.

However, things have just gone crazy this year, and as the second half of 2026 has rolled around, the RAM crisis has reached another tiring peak of frenzied hiking.

There were more rumors of imminent GPU hikes just a couple of weeks ago (following last month's negative chatter), and at retailers in the US we've already seen graphics card prices rising considerably over the past month. Compounding this are even more negative predictions about the memory shortage in general – which inevitably affects video RAM as well as system memory – and DDR5 prices which are spiking in a ridiculous manner right now. So you've got a recipe for a tumultuous rest of the year.

In short, I can't see 2026 panning out any other way than seeing more GPU price increases – so why wouldn't you buy now? At least from the perspective of whether Black Friday might somehow bring some bargains around – it surely won't.

I'm pretty convinced of that, and there are nuances here in terms of what kind of graphics card you're looking to buy. I'm talking about mainstream GPUs, the mid-range or lower tiers of the market, and not the higher-end graphics cards.

The beefiest GPUs like Nvidia's RTX 5080 (don't even mention the RTX 5090) are already exceptionally pricey, and while I don't think they'll get any cheaper – and indeed I reckon they'll probably still creep up in price – the cost of those products is already a very bitter pill to swallow.

I don't blame you if you don't want to pay out that much cash for a graphics card, because over $1,500 for an RTX 5080 (in the US) is a pricing nightmare. But you'll have to accept that you'll likely be in for a long wait for better prices, maybe not until 2028. A compromise might be to buy a card like an RTX 5070 to tide you over, or maybe an AMD RX 9070 XT (it's a touch less expensive in the US at the time of writing), then sell that second-hand later on when the RTX 5080 comes down.

The trouble is, there are no good options here... not for the pricier GPUs anyway.

Red Friday

I think that this year, Black Friday should be renamed Red Friday for its Herring-like nature, at least when it comes to graphics cards. Don't be swayed by the temptation of waiting for a deal, and if you see a reasonable price on the GPU you're considering, grab it now.

A $750 (open box) deal on an RTX 5070, the dilemma of the aforementioned Redditor, seems a sound enough proposition, even though that's a depressing reality considering this GPU was still going for around $650 just two months ago – because you're now looking at $850 or so (going by Newegg US pricing).

You can pick up an RTX 5060 Ti 8GB for only 10% more than this GPU was priced at in June (again, going by Newegg US), and I think there's an even stronger case to snag something like this if you're looking at the more affordable end of the market.

Obviously, do your own research based on the regional pricing for the GPU you're thinking about, but whatever the case, I'd still urge you not to be fooled into waiting for Black Friday, as I really think that'd be a mistake.

Samsung is behind some of our favorite portable SSDs, with the T7 being an excellent example. This incredibly versatile 1TB drive combines USB 3.2 Gen 2 connectivity with a durable aluminum enclosure.

• Best for: Professionals, students, photographers, and creators who need fast, compact external storage that can easily switch between modern devices.

• The deal: The Samsung T7 1TB SSD is now $230 (was $275) at Amazon.

• Why it matters: Samsung has consistently delivered an excellent range of portable SSDs. The T7 is a real classic of the range - compact, durable, and speedy enough for most users. It delivers read speeds up to 1,050MB/s and writes speeds up to 1,000MB/s, making large file transfers considerably quicker than with portable hard drives.

Today's best Samsung portable SSD deal

Why we recommend it

The T7 uses NVMe storage and USB 3.2 Gen 2 to deliver sequential read speeds of up to 1,050MB/s and writes of up to 1,000MB/s. Samsung supports recording compatible high-resolution video directly to the T7, including ProRes 4K at 60fps from supported iPhones. The aluminum drive measures just 3.3 x 2.2 x 0.3 inches, weighs around 2.1oz and is designed to withstand drops of up to six feet.

Price context & historical value

The reduction from $274.99 to $229.99 will save you 16%. That's a welcome price cut in 2026, but it's still expensive for a 1TB external SSD by historical standards. In 2023, before component prices began sky-rocketing, it was available to buy for just $64.99. I don't expect to see it that low again for a very long time, if ever.

For more shopping options, take a look at our roundup of the best portable SSDs, and the fastest external SSDs.

Should you buy it?

✅ Buy the Samsung T7 Portable SSD if...

You frequently move large files between devices and need something faster than a hard drive. The T7 supports 256-bit AES hardware encryption, which is useful if you'll be carrying important work or personal files about with you.

❌ Skip the Samsung T7 Portable SSD if...

Your priority is getting as much storage as possible for the money. You're paying a premium for the T7's combination of SSD performance, compact dimensions and portability, and a slower external drive will give you much more space for the same money, or probably even less.

Also consider

• Shop all portable SSDs at Amazon.

RAM prices have become increasingly painful during the 2026 memory crisis, making discounts on higher-speed DDR5 kits welcome. The 32GB TeamGroup T-Force Vulcan ECO offers DDR5-6400 speeds and support for both Intel and AMD performance profiles.

• Best for: Desktop builders who want 32GB of relatively fast DDR5 memory with support for both major performance-profile standards.

• The deal: The TeamGroup 32GB T-Force Vulcan ECO DDR5-6400 kit is now $429 (was $479) at Newegg when you use code TEF395.

• Why it matters: DDR5-6400 provides much more theoretical bandwidth than slower DDR5 standards. You'll need compatible hardware and the appropriate XMP or EXPO profile enabled to reach the 6,400MT/s speed though.

Today's TeamGroup T-Force Vulcan ECO DDR5 deal

Why we recommend it

The T-Force Vulcan ECO gives you two 16GB DDR5 modules running at up to 6,400MT/s, with CL38 latency and 38-46-46-84 timings at 1.35V. It supports for both Intel XMP 3.0 and AMD EXPO, giving you flexibility when choosing a platform.

The modules include heat spreaders to help manage temperatures, and their silver finish is a stylish alternative to the usual black and white designs that dominate the desktop memory market.

Price context & historical value

Applying promo code TEF395 drops the price from $479 to $429, saving you $50, or around 10%. That's not an enormous reduction, but any money off is welcome in today's expensive memory market. This kit has been slightly cheaper at Newegg in the past though. Not so long ago it was available to buy for $415.99.

Should you buy it?

✅ Buy the 32GB TeamGroup T-Force Vulcan ECO DDR5 kit if...

You're building or upgrading a DDR5 desktop and want a fast 32GB kit with support for both major performance-profile standards. At 6,400MT/s, the Vulcan ECO offers considerably more memory bandwidth than entry-level DDR5-4800 or DDR5-5200 kits, although the real-world benefit will depend on your setup.

❌ Skip the 32GB TeamGroup T-Force Vulcan ECO DDR5 kit if...

Your current PC already has enough memory for everything you do, or your motherboard and processor can't take advantage of DDR5-6400. Given today's RAM prices, there's little reason to spend $429 unless you need the upgrade.

Also consider

• Nvidia Smooth Motion has been modded onto RTX 3000 series GPUs
• The experimental mod allows driver-level frame generation in unsupported games
• Nvidia hasn't officially implemented this and other features on older RTX hardware yet

Modders continue to find new ways to implement Nvidia's latest technologies on older hardware, and now it's been done with Team Green's driver-level frame generation.

As reported by Wccftech, Nvidia Smooth Motion has been unofficially made to work on RTX 3000 series GPUs, with a new NVSmooth30 mod available on GitHub, confirmed to work on an RTX 3050 laptop and an RTX 3080 desktop GPU.

Nvidia's Smooth Motion functionality is essentially identical to AMD's Fluid Motion Frames, meaning that it enables frame generation in games that don't have official support for it — a tool that is most useful for older games or games running in emulators.

The mod works by modifying Nvidia's driver-level frame generation DLL (Dynamic Link Library) file, labeled NvPresent64, bypassing the usual compatibility checks that would stop it from working on Ampere GPU hardware, aka RTX 3000 series GPUs. It also works by "conservative metadata retargeting" from Ada Lovelace (RTX 4000 series) and targets Ampere instead.

The creator says that all users need to do is place the DLL file into the relevant game's folder and use the Nvidia Profile Inspector app to enable Smooth Motion. The process is very simple, but this is an experimental project, so it runs the risk of game bugs and crashes, or potentially other issues — and must not be used in online games using anti-cheat (doing so could result in a ban).

Gamers want new features, but new GPUs are unaffordable

Nvidia has been quite impressive with its latest technologies, notably with DLSS 5 Neural Rendering (which I saw at Gamescom 2026), and Smooth Motion has been one of many over the last few years.

The GPU market is in complete disarray due to the RAM crisis, which means prices for GPUs for both AMD Radeon and Nvidia GeForce GPUs are way too high for most people to consider an upgrade. Features like Multi-Frame Generation, Dynamic Frame Generation, and Smooth Motion are those that PC users would love, but can't use on older hardware.

Modders have consistently proved that these features can be backported in some way, with some even going as far as porting DLSS 5 onto the RTX 4080 (despite the performance hit).

DLSS 5 Neural Rendering coming to older hardware in the immediate future is unrealistic — but Nvidia has previously told me that it does plan on adding backwards compatibility at some point, though it's likely to come to 4000-series models first, and then we'll have to hope for 3000-series later in the future, if it's even possible.

But it feels as though features such as Frame Generation, and specifically Smooth Motion, deserve backporting attention now more than ever, as users are stuck with older GPUs.

Doing so would put Team Green in the good books of many PC gamers, and keep players from relying on unofficial mods to achieve better performance and enjoy GeForce hardware to the fullest extent.

• XMG has announced price rises for its laptops due to the increased cost of components
• The laptop maker points out that DDR5 RAM for laptops is now close to 6x the price it was before the memory crisis
• We're also hearing that Micron has pulled the plug on its 2GB modules of GDDR7, and Nvidia's supply of VRAM could feel an impact from this

The RAM crisis sadly keeps rolling on and finding fresh pricing misery to heap on us, and that includes new laptop hikes and a hint that Nvidia GPUs could be in yet another spot of bother.

VideoCardz spotted the development with laptops, as manufacturer XMG announced on Reddit that its notebooks are subject to price hikes of either €100 or €150 for most models, or €300 in one case (that's for a Schenker portable, which is XMG's parent company, so it's all under the same umbrella).

Some laptop upgrades have got pricier, too, with a €120 premium on an RTX 5090 configuration, and as XMG observed: "The reason [for the price rises] is another increase in purchasing costs. This is no longer just about RAM and SSDs: PCBs, electronic components, CPUs, graphics cards and video memory are also contributing to the higher cost level."

In other words, everything is subject to price inflation, including the motherboard and associated chips, as well as the mentioned key components.

XMG highlighted data drawn from Geizhals (which tracks German retail prices) showing that DDR5 RAM for laptops is close to 6x the price it was before the memory shortage began (in mid-2025).

The laptop maker also made it clear that discrete GPUs and GDDR7 video memory have become more expensive, as have the prices of AMD and Intel laptop processors.

Also on the subject of GPUs, Wccftech reports that another slight worry is that Micron is no longer making 2GB modules of GDDR7 video RAM which are used in some Nvidia RTX 5000 GPUs.

Uniko's Hardware flagged up this news in a post on X, noting that these chips have "reached end of life" and that this is the case for all Micron 2GB modules, with only 3GB GDDR7 chips now listed on the memory maker's website.

With Micron apparently no longer supplying Nvidia with those 2GB modules, that means more of a squeeze on the availability of video memory for RTX 5000 graphics cards, at least in theory. This could hit stock levels and put a bit more pressure on pricing (which is already climbing fast).

Analysis: yet more pressure

We need to season the claims around Micron here, as this isn't a definitive statement from the company itself, and more to the point, it's only a minor supplier for Nvidia's gaming GPUs. Team Green gets the majority of its GDDR7 from Samsung and SK Hynix, and so the impact here should be relatively slight.

However, I'd argue that any impact is bad news given the current climate which is rapidly worsening for GPUs, particularly those from Nvidia which are heading upwards at a rate of knots for some models. The RTX 5090 has got completely ridiculous, the RTX 5080 is similarly out of hand, and even the RTX 5070 is now feeling the pricing heat, with a 30% price rise compared to two months ago in the US (and a similar picture elsewhere).

So, even small extra pressures are really not going to help Nvidia's GeForce GPUs here.

As for the laptop price hikes, this is a sign of the RAM supply times, and XMG is following other makers who have had to jack up prices (like Dell for example, which just bumped up the XPS 13 in a roundabout way).

It's a commendable level of transparency from XMG here, with the company making it clear that it isn't turning any extra profit from these laptop price increases. XMG also observed that other factors are in play with increased costs for notebook makers, and that includes rising air freight costs (due to conflicts in the Middle East) and difficulties with shipping by sea, too.

Corsair's line of desktop and laptop memory have been some of the top performers in our tests - and the Vengeance is easily one of our favorites. And right now there's a big sale on DDR4 and DDR5 RAM from the gaming company. Plenty of discounts to be had, but the white Corsair Vengeance 32GB DDR5 kit is the one that caught our eye.

• Best for: PC builders and creators looking for faster RAM for productivity, extensive multi-tasking, and creative workloads.

• The deal: The white Corsair Vengeance 32GB DDR5-5200 RAM kit is now $408 (was $508) at Corsair. In the UK, Corsair's memory kit is now £389 (was £485) on the site.

• Why it matters: Any discount on memory is welcome right now, since AI has sent prices skyrocketing. And we're fans of Corsair's Vengeance line, having tested several in our time. The white finish on this RAM kit is a decent attraction if you're building a color-coordinated desktop with a window in the case.

Today's Corsair DDR5 RAM kit deal

Why we recommend it

This Corsair Vengeance kit includes two 16GB DDR5 modules. Running at up to 5,200MT/s with CL40 latency, the modules feature aluminum heat spreaders to manage temperatures. Their compact, low-profile construction makes them suitable for desktop builds where larger memory modules could interfere with CPU coolers. Corsair has optimized the kit for Intel motherboards, with compatibility covering Intel 600, 700 and 800 series platforms.

Price context & historical value

The discount from $508 to $407.99 knocks just over $100 off the current price, equivalent to saving almost 20%. The wider memory market has experienced huge price increases during 2026, so any sizable discount is worth considering, even if it's still very expensive compared to last year.

Should you buy it?

✅ Buy the 32GB Corsair Vengeance White DDR5 kit if...

You accept that pricing is through the roof and modern deals don't compare with last year's costs. This is a good offer if want more control over your desktop's memory configuration and are comfortable tweaking performance settings. The kit supports Intel XMP profiles, allowing compatible systems to apply its rated memory settings without manually entering every timing and voltage parameter.

Built-in voltage regulation provide additional control for anyone looking to fine-tune their systems.

❌ Skip the 32GB Corsair Vengeance White DDR5 if...

You're assembling a budget desktop or upgrading an older system that doesn't support DDR5. Given current prices, it's worth checking whether your existing memory genuinely limits everyday performance before spending more than $400 on an upgrade.

More deals: Also consider

• US: Shop all memory on sale at Corsair
• UK: See all RAM deals at Corsair

• Apparently Nvidia's not launching RTX 6000 GPUs until 2028
• A leaker claims that these graphics cards have been delayed from the 2027 debut Nvidia originally planned
• Pushing back these GPUs makes sense given the RAM crisis, and some gamers are happy to wait anyway

Nvidia has pushed back its timeframe for launching next-generation graphics cards for gamers, and we're now hearing they won't arrive until 2028.

As ever, all this is theoretical – Nvidia hasn't uttered a peep about its RTX 6000 GPUs officially – but according to Kopite7kimi, a well-known leaker on X (via TweakTown), these products are now destined for a 2028 release which "means they have postponed again."

In other words, Nvidia was supposedly looking at a launch for next year, but the leaker now believes that isn't the case.

Another leaker, Moore's Law is Dead on YouTube, recently said that Nvidia is planning a 2027 launch for the RTX 6000 series, so this directly contradicts that idea. However, it's possible that this was the case, but Team Green has only just changed its mind.

Analysis: a sensible move

Of course, both of these assertions are just rumors, and we need to regard them with an equal amount of caution – but I think it makes more sense for Nvidia to delay the release of its next-gen GeForce GPUs until 2028.

Why? I have three predictable words for you: the RAM crisis. With the memory shortage – which also impacts video RAM – rapidly worsening as 2026 progresses, and predicted to descend further into nightmarish pricing territory in 2027, next year seems like a bad move for launching a family of next-gen GPUs.

Especially when you consider that the first graphics cards to emerge will doubtless be the flagship RTX 6090 and the 6080. How expensive will they be in such a climate, given that the RTX 5080 is already exorbitantly priced? The latter has reached around $1,500 in the US at this point, and is at similar levels in other regions, such as £1,350 in the UK (that's the cheapest GPU in both cases at the time of writing, I should make clear). And let's not even talk about the RTX 5090 which has got completely ridiculous.

Remember that these next-gen GPUs are going to require more memory to be an upgrade over their predecessors, and are also likely to use more expensive VRAM modules.

3GB modules will likely be used by Nvidia, or maybe even 4GB or 6GB chips, which as Wccftech reports, are rumored to debut in the next year or two (which would align with a 2028 release for RTX 6000, in theory). That's according to another prominent leaker over in Asia, Golden Pig Upgrade, as posted on Weibo.

All expectations are for the RTX 6000 series to be pricey, which is why launching them at what might be the height of the RAM crisis – 2027, going by current predictions – doesn't make a whole lot of sense. The following year seems a lot more likely, when hopefully the crisis has started to settle down and pricing is at least stabilizing to some extent (although some believe we're looking longer term for that to happen, more towards 2030).

Whatever the case, some gamers are getting jaded with the market. One of the replies to Kopite7kimi's post on X simply says of the next generation of Nvidia GeForce GPUs: "Nobody cares, nobody can afford it anyway." Others – like this Redditor, who says "I'd rather they delayed the launch to consumers" – indicate that they're happy enough to wait due to pricing or stock issues (launch quantities of GPUs would likely be thin on the ground).

The other question is whether we'll see those RTX 5000 Super refreshes that have been long rumored. I'm doubtful at this point, and I think Nvidia may be inclined to rely more on the AI and software side of the equation, principally DLSS 5, to impress gamers, rather than new (stupidly pricey) hardware.

At a time of soaring memory prices, Corsair has discounted plenty of its laptop and desktop PC DDR4 and DDR5 RAM. That includes its 32GB Vengeance DDR5 SODIMM kit.

• Best for: Anyone upgrading the memory in a compatible laptop or small-form-factor PC. It's particularly useful for heavy multitasking and memory-intensive creative applications.

• The deal: The 32GB Vengeance DDR5-4800 SODIMM kit is now $380 (was $497) at Corsair.

• Why it matters: You get two 16GB DDR5 modules running at 4,800MT/s with CL40 latency and low 1.1V operation, with straightforward installation and a limited lifetime warranty. The maximum speed depends on the laptop or PC, its processor and motherboard, and Corsair's own information talks about about BIOS adjustments and overclocking being required in some cases.

• Shop all computer memory on sale at Corsair.

Why we recommend it

Installation should be straightforward in systems with accessible SODIMM slots. Corsair says compatible computers can automatically operate the memory at its supported speed without requiring manual BIOS configuration.

Each module is tested at 4,800MT/s with CL40 latency. Corsair also individually screens and tests the modules and backs the kit with a limited lifetime warranty.

Price context & historical value

The reduction from $496.99 to $397.99 knocks $99 off the regular price, equivalent to a saving of almost 20%, which is pretty good in these days of sky-high memory prices.

If you own a time machine, you can nip back to 2024 where you'll find it selling as low as $69.99 at B&H. It was also available for $279.99 at Amazon earlier this year, but it's $397.99 (like Corsair is offering) right now.

Should you buy it?

✅ Buy the 32GB Corsair Vengeance DDR5 SODIMM kit if...

Your compatible laptop or compact PC currently has 8GB or 16GB of memory and that's increasingly proving to not be enough. Moving to 32GB can provide considerably more headroom for demanding workloads and multitasking.

❌ Skip the 32GB Corsair Vengeance DDR5 SODIMM kit if...

Your computer's specifications don't match. You need DDR5 SODIMM slots, and Corsair specifically lists compatibility with 13th Gen Intel Core or newer systems. Maximum supported capacity and memory speed also depend on your particular CPU and motherboard.

Also consider

• Acer's CEO claims RAM supply is still "quite large"
• Jason Chen does acknowledge that PC prices will rise in Q4, though, by up to 20% on average
• However, those prices will fall by mid-2027, the CEO predicts, asserting that: "It's impossible for the shortage to last until 2030!"

Not everyone is being totally downbeat about the RAM crisis, with Acer's CEO stating that he's hopeful that PC prices will drop from the middle of 2027, even if price rises are on the cards for the rest of this year.

VideoCardz higlighted a (translated) report from Taiwan's Economic Daily News that shares the most recent thoughts of Jason Chen, chief executive of Acer, on the RAM crisis.

Chen asserts that there isn't much of a DDR4 and DDR5 memory shortage at present, and that the "supply is quite large" for this RAM — we must bear in mind there may be some nuances lost in translation there — and also that there isn't much shortage of processors either.

The CEO does acknowledge that the prices of components are currently "fluctuating" at a high level, and that PC prices will continue to climb in the fourth quarter of 2026, with an average price rise of between 5% to 20%.

However, the good news, according to Chen, is that he believes PC prices should drop from mid-2027, and with more chip production coming online — especially in China — the memory shortage won't last for the rest of the decade.

Chen is pretty firm on that one, claiming that, "It's impossible for the shortage to last until 2030!"

Analysis: new hope for some stability?

As to whether there isn't much of a RAM shortage currently, almost everyone else begs to differ on that — although I accept that Chen's meaning may be altered in translation somewhat here, as noted, and perhaps the gist is that supply isn't as bad as some in the industry would have you believe.

Whatever the case, Chen is clearly sounding a more optimistic note than most. There have certainly been some analysts and prominent industry figures who are suggesting that the RAM crisis will indeed last until 2030, and those are the people who Chen is clearly directing that last comment at. The CEO does appear to be talking more about the Chinese market than the global picture here, though, and we should also bear that in mind.

Still, it's a relief to hear some more positive thinking on the RAM crisis, although there's one point that everyone can agree on: namely that prices are going to rise over the rest of 2026 and into 2027. Even Chen's predicted fall in PC pricing isn't forecast to come about until the middle of next year, and so for the time being, it's clear enough that we're stuck with rising prices.

The cost of RAM in particular has been soaring of late — against all odds, as it was already exorbitantly high — and GPUs are now being subject to some worrying price hikes (the top-end in particular is getting ridiculous), with more to come I expect. It's not pretty out there for consumers, and nothing is going to get better for some time — the question for me right now is: how much worse might things become?

I hope Chen's more positive noises here are indicative of at least some stabilizing around high pricing for PCs and components alike.

It's been over four years since Intel Arc graphics made their debut. Team Blue, primarily known for making some of the best processors of all time, had made its second big swing against the best graphics cards. Alchemist had promise from a price-to-performance perspective; the A-series impressed with budget-friendly performance in 1080p and 1440p with the Arc A750 and Arc A770, respectively, despite some driver issues and (initially) a lack of developer support.

Everything changed with Battlemage. Intel's second-generation Arc graphics cards received higher praise, with far superior generational performance, rivalling the best cheap graphics cards. In particular, the Arc B570 was a powerhouse for 1080p gaming with its $219 / £219 MSRP, and the Arc B580 confidently earned a perfect review from us with its all-star 1440p performance for just $249.99 /£249.99. However, that was some time ago.

Now, nearing the end of 2026, the concept of a cheap video card, or a true graphics card deal, is (sadly) extinct. You can expect to pay double (or more) for a B580 that made waves due to its value proposition just two short years ago, lessening the impact of an otherwise excellent GPU. Team Blue has reportedly canceled its Celestial range of discrete graphics cards, and the future of Druid (the codename for Intel's fourth-generation GPU) and beyond is uncertain.

Has Intel abandoned the dedicated GPU market to go all-in on the likes of its G3 Extreme chip found in the best gaming handhelds? Moreover, is there still hope for a third major competitor during the worst time to build (or buy) a gaming computer in recent memory?

What were Intel's original plans for Celestial?

When Intel Arc was originally announced more than five years ago, Team Blue confidently laid out its "Multi-Year Roadmap", with Alchemist (A-Series) slated for Q1 2022, a goal the company only just achieved as the initial GPU lineup dropped on March 30. With that said, no dates or timeframes were confirmed for the second, third, and fourth generations of its Xe platform.

Intel Arc Battlemage (B-series) graphics cards were officially launched on December 3, 2024, meaning almost three years (or two years and eight months) had passed between the two Xe generations. This release schedule is fairly standard for GPU launches; Nvidia launched the Blackwell-based RTX 50 series on January 30, 2025, with the RTX 5090 and RTX 5080, succeeding the RTX 40 series that debuted on October 12, 2022, with the then-flagship RTX 4090 (two years and three months).

It's nearing the time when we should start hearing about Intel Celestial, especially given just how well-received Battlemage was, and yet there's radio silence from Team Blue. More specifically, speculation around The C-series' cancellation were sparked from rumors dating back to April. Specifically, it was hardware leaker Jaykihn on X who alleged that "Celestial was canned long ago" and that "Druid is up in the air".

If we look at the updated Intel Arc Graphics roadmap, the company alleged that the Xe3P Cestial graphics cards should have been arriving in 2026.

What happened to Intel Celestial?

Intel had clearly stated in 2025 that next-generation Xe3 Battlemage graphics would arrive that year, and then year-on-year we would receive Xe3P with Celestial in 2026, Xe4 with Druid in 2027, and Xe Next, the "Next-Gen," in 2028. So what actually came of these claims? So far, so good, as the B-series is integrated into the latest G3 family.

As well as the Intel 18A-based Compute Tile (14-core with NPU 5 and up to 8,533 MT/s LPDDR5x memory), it also uses the Xe3 architecture for its 10-12 Xe-cores, 10-12 RT units, and 80-96 XMX AI Engines, whether it's the standard or the G3 Extreme variant. In other words, Intel has decided to renew Battlemage for a third year running, with no apparent space (or need) for Celestial at this time, at least for the purpose of dedicated gaming.

It's alleged that Xe3P architecture (Celestial) is being baked into the upcoming Intel Nova Lake processors. More specifically, the C-series could be entirely relegated to integrated graphics onboard certain incoming chips rather than powering discrete graphics cards.

This is claimed to be the case with the Nova Lake-S lineup, which is said to be a 16-core CPU with a 12-core Xe3P iGPU forged on the silicon, unlike other Nova Lake processors that could feature just two Xe3 cores.

While Xe3 is already being used in gaming handhelds powered by the G3 and G3 Extreme, the combination of both Xe3 and Xe3P in Nova Lake could be where Celestial lives. It's been rumored that the extra performance of the newer-generation cores could be primarily for driving the Visual Engine rather than being used for anything more intensive. Revealed at Hot Chips 2026, Intel announced that Xe3P would be powering its Crescent Island AI GPUs. At the moment, then, it seems that Team Blue has no interest in bringing over Celestial tech for gaming.

Battlemage isn't worth the price anymore, and Intel needs to learn from this

There's no easy way to say this: Intel Arc isn't worth the inflated asking prices. While the two main Battlemage graphics cards initially won favor with us and the general gaming public, the value proposition simply isn't justifiable this late in 2026. As touched upon above, both entry-level GPUs have doubled in price, and it's really hard to see the justification against a considerably stronger graphics card like the RTX 5060 and RX 9060 XT.

The average Arc B580 GPU nowadays costs around $330 / £340 for the 12GB variant from Intel's board partners such as ASRock and Sparkle. That gets you the current top-end Battlemage card with a 192-bit memory bus, 12GB of GDDR6 memory, and a total of 2,560 GPU cores.

However, for around the same price, you can also opt for an RTX 5060 8GB, or bump your budget up to around $400 / £400 for the far more capable RTX 5060 Ti instead. The former has a smaller 128-bit memory bus, although it benefits from 8GB of GDDR7 memory and 3,840 CUDA cores, whereas the latter comes with the same bus width but with up to 16GB of GDDR7 VRAM and 4,608 CUDA cores. Which one would you pick when weighing up a cheap gaming PC build?

Let's forget the tech specs and instead look at the performance numbers laofcct. According to testing conducted by Mark PC, both the similarly priced RTX 5060 and RX 9060 XT. We see this in countless examples with the demanding PC games tested, such as The Last of Us Part 1, Cyberpunk 2077, Assassin's Creed Valhalla, and Starfield; all of these games had superior average framerates from the AMD and Nvidia GPUs when benched in 1080p at max settings.

This is consistent with the testing conducted by Hardware Unboxed as well, as the three entry-level graphics cards were benched in 1080p with Medium to High settings, depending on the game. It's the same story with the likes of Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, Marvel's Spider-Man 2, Assassin's Creed Shadows, The Last of Us Part 2; you get the idea. If buying a graphics card from a processor company wasn't already a hard sell, then the price-to-performance of Arc circa 2026 certainly is.

Druid is Intel's last chance at remaining in the gaming GPU market

If Celestial is truly canceled (or relegated to an obscure APU), as has been claimed, then all hopes hinge on Druid and its Xe4 architecture, which is slated to be released in 2027. "Up in the air" really is an understatement with Team Blue's plans for its proposed fourth Arc generation; there's nothing circulating about this tech at all, which is rare considering the usual slate of rumors and speculation that usually whir up a year or so out from release.

The only real sliver of information that points to Team Blue still being in the GPU race at all comes from Alex Katouzian, Intel EVP and GM of Client Computing, who spoke to Dutch tech site Tweakers during Computex 2026. Katouzian is quoted as saying: "GPUs are a super important part of our PC product range" and "the traction of our GPU cores is really very good". It's a non-answer to a tough question that doesn't really give any indication as to what the company is planning; typical corporate speak to cover up the fact that it may have no idea where (or if) Druid has a future at all.

Worst-case scenario, then. Let's say Celestial is properly canned, but that Intel gives Druid a shot as a last-ditch effort to save the fledgling Arc graphics division in its dedicated form. Following the same blueprint as its last two GPU generations, a prospective launch of the D570 and D580 would need to be 12 to 16GB GDDR6X at a minimum, be built with XeSS 3's MFG in mind for 1080p to 1440p gaming, and still retail new for $250 to $350, respectively. Is this really something that can happen in 2027 with the price of graphics cards continuing to rise? I remain unconvinced.

There's a pathway for Intel to win back favor and consumer trust with a line of affordable graphics cards that deliver playable results for today's games. However, given the dire state of the industry and some truly puzzling top-level decision-making over the last two years, it just doesn't seem like things can be salvaged here. I would love to be wrong; more competition and consumer choice are always good for business, particularly if it means showing Nvidia the true meaning of budget and mid-range, but is Intel really the company to do that in 2027 and beyond? It's unlikely.

• AMD is rumored to be hiking prices for its chips
• Industry insiders in the supply chain indicate that a rise of around 10% will be applied across AMD's "entire chip line"
• This means GPUs and processors, as well as motherboards, and the hike is expected in Q4, so it could happen next month

AMD's processors and graphics cards could soon get more expensive in the latest blow from the RAM crisis rumor mill.

Wccftech spotted that leaker Harukaze5719 highlighted a post from ChannelGate (the Board Channels over in Asia) that cites sources in the supply chain who claim that TSMC has informed its customers of a 10% price rise.

The post observes that most of AMD's chips are manufactured by TSMC, and that Team Red has in turn notified its customers of a 10% "price adjustment" across its "entire chip product line".

That means everything, so on the consumer front, we can expect AMD's GPUs and Ryzen processors to be hit with price increases — and motherboard chipsets are also affected, so the price of those AMD boards will climb, too.

It's worth noting that processors aren't referred to explicitly in the post on the Board Channels, but given the mention of the entirety of AMD's chips, I think we can take that as real (as the leaker Harukaze5719 indicates).

The sources believe that AMD will enforce this new policy in Q4, so it could happen next month, in theory (although all of this remains a rumor).

In other RAM crisis bleakness, the Steam Frame arrived earlier this week with a much-inflated price tag compared to what Valve first envisioned for the VR headset. It starts at $1,059 / £889 / AU$1,609, which is a few hundred more dollars than what Valve was thinking originally.

As PC Gamer reports, a hardware engineer at Valve, Joy Lyons, said, "We set out to design [the Steam Frame] with one particular price in mind, but we've made choices to make sure that we're making a product that is choiceful, that people can purchase. They can upgrade with different features later. But we wanted to make sure we had a base product with really great performance. Then that price target shifted due to the ongoing RAM crisis around the world."

Analysis: a believable enough prediction

Sadly, the AMD rumor is another worrying doom nugget from what seems to be a never-ending supply of bad news in the past couple of months. Just this week, we've had a report that shows DDR5 RAM is somehow getting even more expensive, blowing past the levels I'd expected — not to mention the laptop price hikes.

The RAM crisis was forecast to worsen as 2026 rolled on, and that appears to be unfolding just as predicted — and there's very possibly worse to come in 2027, going by rumors elsewhere. If the pundits, analysts and insiders were right about this year, there's a fair chance they'll be right about next year, too.

Okay, so that's not a foregone conclusion, and some kind of more positive developments could yet happen — we can hope. This particular rumor must also be treated with some caution, as a Board Channels post may not have everything right (by any means), but the problem is that given the current climate, it's believable enough that AMD has price hikes in the works. Team Red already warned us earlier this year about pricing pain for the second half of 2026, after all.

A 4TB SSD gives you plenty of storage, but high-capacity drives can be expensive. SanDisk's WD_BLACK SN7100 is a compact M.2 2280 drive that combines PCIe 4.0 connectivity with TLC 3D NAND and a DRAM-less HMB design.

• Best for: Professionals, PC builders, and gamers who needs a high-capacity SSD for a laptop or desktop and wants a lot of room for applications, media and large files.

• The deal: The 4TB WD_BLACK SN7100 is now $560 (was $580) at Newegg when you use promo code SSF73634

• Why it matters: The SSD delivers sequential read speeds up to 7,000MB/s and writes up to 6,700MB/s, alongside a solid 2,400TBW endurance rating.

Why we recommend it

The SN7100 delivers plenty of storage and performance suited to creative laptops and desktop PCs. Its maximum operating power is rated at 4.5W, and it offers up to 100% better power efficiency than the previous generation. The 4TB model also has an endurance rating of 2,400TBW.

For more options, look at our roundups of the best SSDs and the fastest SSDs.

Price context & historical value

The saving from $580 to $579.99 is obviously minuscule on its own, but promo code SSF73634 brings the price down to $559.99. It's not a huge discount, but with storage prices so high right now, any reduction is welcome.

That said, this is nowhere near its historical low. The 4TB WD_BLACK SN7100 was available to buy for $209.99 in 2025, illustrating just how dramatically SSD prices have risen since then. Not so long ago, it was priced at $1,379.99 at Amazon, where it is currently $579.

Should you buy it?

✅ Buy the 4TB WD_BLACK SN7100 if...

You want to increase your storage without compromising on speed. With 4TB available, there's plenty of room for large files, applications and media without constantly managing free space.

❌ Skip the 4TB WD_BLACK SN7100 if...

You regularly handle sustained, storage heavy workloads, as it's a DRAM-less SSD (dedicated DRAM is better). It also comes without a heatsink, so check the cooling arrangements and available space in the device where you plan to install it.

• Shop all internal SSDs at Newegg

• AMD is rumored to be working on its own version of DLSS 5
• A leaker says that the neural rendering tech will be launched with next-gen RDNA 5 GPUs
• That means we could be waiting until late 2027 or 2028 to see this debut, which might leave AMD lagging behind Nvidia considerably

AMD could be working on its own take on Nvidia's DLSS 5, and apparently this alternative attempt at neural rendering will be for its next-gen RDNA 5 graphics cards.

VideoCardz spotted that a known leaker in the GPU field, Kepler L2, posted on the Anandtech forum in a discussion around RDNA 5 speculation to say that: "AMD will have their own version of 'Neural Lighting' like DLSS5 next-gen."

Kepler then clarified that he didn't mean a version of Ray Reconstruction, but a take on DLSS 5 (neural rendering), and that next-gen RDNA 5 GPUs would be required because "this stuff is pretty heavy" (as in resource-intensive).

In a further post, Kepler elaborated: "There's a lot of issues with Nvidia's approach [with DLSS 5], but it's possible to have a version of this with minimal hallucinations and 'AI slop' look."

He then suggests a way that AMD could work its version to improve on DLSS 5, including giving the AI "direct access to 3D game data such as geometry, ray data, depth buffers, materials, etc so it doesn't have to guess and can accurately know how each object in a scene should interact with light."

Kepler's outline of a proposed alternative for AMD would have a separate model (AI) for lighting improvements, and another different model solely for the shading of complex surfaces. DLSS 5 bundles these together with its neural rendering system, and adds color-grading on top — to adopt what the AI judges as more natural colors — which Kepler advises that AMD should dispense with entirely.

Analysis: a race against time – or a chance to get it right?

I won't pretend to be able to critique what Kepler is suggesting as an alternative for AMD and the technical nuances therein, except to say that the idea is clearly to achieve a result that looks less like it's been 'messed' about with by AI and minimizes any 'slopification' therein — preserving more of the original artistic intent.

And that seems a laudable goal, of course, and it also brings up how AMD is in an interesting position here in lagging behind Nvidia with its graphics tech (which has, of course, been the case from the start, with FSR following DLSS — version 2.0 of Nvidia's upscaling tech was already in play, in fact, when FSR 1.0 arrived). Team Red can sit back for now and see how DLSS 5 plays out, as more games emerge that use it, and gauge the reaction of gamers, and forge its own neural rendering tech to tackle any perceived weaknesses.

The performance hit will be an obvious area to target, and if AMD can bring that down — it's substantial with DLSS 5 as it is now — that will obviously be a big win. That said, I'd expect Nvidia will be working with some haste to make DLSS 5 more performant, and as with DLSS 1, the tech will be improved considerably by the time Team Red has its own version out.

This is the other side of the equation here, where Nvidia could win out. With RDNA 5 GPUs not expected to arrive for at least a year, and quite possibly longer (the RAM crisis isn't helping), there's quite a lengthy timeframe on any AMD rival to DLSS 5. By the time it arrives, DLSS 5.5 may be in town with considerable improvements in tow. There's already been a notable turnaround in the perception of DLSS 5 with its official launch (compared to Nvidia's sneak preview earlier this year).

This is, of course, assuming AMD is indeed working on its own neural rendering technology, but I'd be surprised if this wasn't the case. For now, though, the word of a single leaker needs to be thoroughly seasoned, as ever, even though it's believable enough that Team Red would be aiming to use this on RDNA 5 graphics cards.

• DDR5 RAM has hit a new pricing high in the German market
• It's now 544% up on the price it was before the RAM crisis began
• This inflation backs up predictions of the memory shortage worsening, and Dell has just hiked the price of one of its popular laptops, too

If you wanted a telling example of how bad the cost of RAM is getting, the latest report on DDR5 pricing makes it crystal clear – and it reaches us as Dell moves to hike the price of its affordable XPS 13 laptop (in a roundabout way).

I'll come back to the ins-and-outs of what's happening with Dell, but first the DDR5 price jump, which has happened over in Germany.

3D Center keeps tabs on the monthly pricing of DDR5 memory in the German retail market – some 20 products are covered in this largest market in Europe – and as Wccftech flagged, the report for September shows this RAM is now 544% up on the price it was in July 2025 (the baseline level before the crisis began).

This is a big leap from 486% where the DDR5 price index sat in August, and since June, when it was at 419% having remained flat for much of the year. This obviously represents a depressingly hefty additional toll on the wallets of PC buyers or those upgrading their memory.

Meanwhile, as Mashable noticed, Dell has effectively upped the price of its XPS 13 laptop in the US, without actually increasing the baseline cost – instead of doing that, the laptop maker has introduced a new entry-level model with less storage.

So, previously the XPS 13 started from $699 in the US for the model with 8GB of RAM and 512GB of storage. What Dell has done is brought in a new model with 256GB of storage at that $699 level, so while technically the cheapest XPS 13 is still at that price, you're getting a lower spec for the money.

The old baseline model with 8GB RAM and a 512GB SSD is now $799, so it's been hiked by $100 – a pretty nasty bump in cost that moves this notebook into a distinctly less affordable price bracket.

If you want the XPS 13 with 16GB of system memory (and 512GB of storage), that's also gone up $100 so it's now at $999. Do note that these are student-targeted laptops, and students get a $100 discount on the XPS 13, so you will pay less in that case. However, while $599 (with $100 off) remains a tempting price in this climate, 256GB storage is cutting it thin.

Analysis: as predicted, 2026 is turning much nastier with RAM

The DDR5 price spike is truly worrying in my opinion, simply because it's an acceleration of an already worsening picture. Yes, it's only one retail market and a snapshot of the overall landscape as such, but the same pattern is seen elsewhere. Just look at Tom's Hardware's price tracker, which shows 32GB of DDR5-5600 RAM in the US is now $409 (at the time of writing) compared to $72, which was the lowest price seen before the memory crisis.

That's over a 5.5x price increase in the US market (mirroring the German level of RAM inflation in this particular case). The end result is that what used to be a no-brainer of future-proofing any desktop PC – particularly a gaming rig – with 32GB of RAM is now a difficult choice to make, as sticking with 16GB is saving you $200 (or the regional equivalent). Bearing in mind that you're battling all sorts of other component inflation if you're building a new PC, too (most notably with the likes of SSDs and increasingly GPUs).

We were told that the second half of 2026 would see more RAM price misery, and these German market figures illustrate exactly that. Since June, buyers in the country have witnessed an effective 30% increase in the cost of DDR5 (when it was already hugely overinflated). It's worse than I imagined it could get, frankly, and I fear that the most pessimistic predictions – which also forecast a very rough 2027 – are very much on the money.

All these RAM price hikes are eventually reflected in the cost of laptops, of course, and the Dell XPS 13 provides an apt illustration here. Interestingly enough, I recently wrote about Dell's revelation of its new 14S laptop – which was shown off at IFA, but without any price tag being attached – saying that this made me nervous about how much the notebook might cost.

Given this XPS 13 hike, it's easy to see why Dell was hesitant, and to be fair to the company, it isn't the only manufacturer that's reticent to pin launch prices on incoming devices. This is becoming a trend because the memory shortage, and its knock-on effects, are making life difficult for all device makers.

• Nvidia's RTX 5090 is now over $9,000 in the US
• A new rumor suggests that RTX 6000 gaming GPUs are coming in 2027, maybe in the first half of the year
• If true, the price tag that's attached to the RTX 6090 will likely be colossal, and lower-tier GPUs could be pricey too

Nvidia's RTX 5090 flagship has hit new heights in terms of ridiculous asking prices, just as a new rumor suggests that RTX 6000 (Rubin) GPUs are coming in 2027 — earlier than anticipated, and to say the price of those next-gen offerings is a worry given the current climate is a huge understatement.

A Redditor pointed out the current state of RTX 5090 prices, which are close to commanding $10,000 in the US for some models. Notably, the Asus ROG Astral RTX 5090 will set you back a princely $9,659 on Newegg US, although that's not sold directly by the retailer.

Indeed, none of the big retailers have any stock of the RTX 5090 anymore, and the only graphics cards you can buy are from third-party marketplace sellers, often shipping from Asia (that ROG Astral GPU comes from Hong Kong).

You can find more expensive RTX 5090s than that if you want to get the gold-plated version (Dhahab Edition) of the ROG Astral, which is now $11,999. The very cheapest RTX 5090 that I could find at the time of writing is an MSI Ventus model that's priced at $6,549 on Newegg.

What about outside of the US? Price inflation is rampant in other countries too. If we take the UK as an example, you can pick up an RTX 5090 for around £4,500 on Overclockers UK, which is still an eye-watering asking price. (And those are the cheapest GPUs — they go up in price from there to £6,600 for the aforementioned Asus ROG Astral RTX 5090).

It's an alarming situation, and one that heaps worries on top of a new rumor about the RTX 6000 launch as aired by Moore's Law is Dead (MLID) on YouTube (via TweakTown).

Previous rumors have contended that Nvidia's looking at 2028 for the arrival of its next-gen GeForce graphics cards, but a source at the firm told MLID that this is incorrect, and Team Green is aiming for a 2027 launch. Moreover, the current plan is still to get the RTX 6000 ball rolling for PC gamers in the first half of next year, meaning within the next nine months.

There's an obvious sticking point here, though: if the RTX 6000 generation is this close, how come we haven't had much in the way of leaks yet, and nothing of any real substance? The source claims that this is due to Nvidia's management successfully clamping down on leaks with the next-gen products.

The first offering will presumably be the RTX 6090 (or maybe an RTX 6080 as well), and it's going to have some kind of interesting spin on the design — though we aren't told what. It could have beefed up hardware to better cope with running DLSS 5, perhaps, as that would make sense — something to help deal with the performance hit of neural rendering would clearly be very welcome.

Analysis: house deposit or GPU?

There are obvious problems with a possible RTX 6000 launch next year, if we take this rumor at face value. As noted, the RTX 5090 is now being sold for beyond ridiculous prices — and so how much is an RTX 6090 going to run? The fiscal equivalent of an ultramarathon, presumably, and with AI demand likely coming into play with this GPU, the next-gen flagship could be 'unobtainium,' as the disgruntled gamers out there are already predicting.

When you consider that the RAM crisis is going to get worse next year, going by the more recent forecasts from analysts and industry insiders, video RAM is going to be more problematic — and how much of the stuff will be on an RTX 6090? — it all adds up to a frightening prospect for an MSRP. And the likely reality is that the price to actually buy the next-gen Rubin gaming flagship will blow well past that towering recommended cost. (The RTX 6080 won't likely be much different, either.)

For all these reasons, I find it difficult to believe that Nvidia will go ahead and launch the RTX 6000 series next year. Surely it makes sense to wait longer, although what Team Green may know is that 2028 isn't going to be any better for RAM price inflation, and so perhaps that's why next year is greenlit for next-gen GeForce graphics cards to arrive. It's a sobering thought. As one Redditor observed: "Can't wait to decide if I want a down payment on a house or an Nvidia GPU."

DDR5 memory prices remain painfully high, so any sizable price reduction is worth watching out for. Corsair currently has a great deal on the white 32GB Vengeance RGB DDR5-6400 kit, combining fast memory with customizable RGB lighting.

• Best for: PC builders and gamers who want 32GB of fast DDR5 memory for a compatible Intel system.

• The deal: The white Vengeance RGB 32GB DDR5-6400 kit is $515.99 (was $643.99) at Corsair.

• Why it matters: The kit combines two 16GB DDR5-6400 modules with low-latency CL32 timings and Intel XMP 3.0 support for straightforward memory overclocking. Each module also features ten individually addressable RGB LEDs that you can customize through Corsair iCUE.

Why we recommend it

A 32GB dual-channel kit provides plenty of memory for a modern PC, giving you room for demanding multitasking, content creation and other memory-intensive applications. The DDR5-6400 speed provides a good balance between bandwidth and compatibility, and Intel XMP 3.0 support makes it easier to run the memory at its advertised settings without manually tweaking values in the BIOS.

Price context & historical value

The 32GB Corsair Vengeance RGB DDR5-6400 RAM kit is currently reduced from $643.99 to $515.99, saving you $128, or just under 20%.

RAM prices vary considerably right now, so the value depends heavily on wanting this particular white RGB configuration rather than simply looking for the cheapest 32GB DDR5 kit.

Should you buy it?

✅ Buy the Corsair Vengeance RGB if...

You're building or upgrading a DDR5 Intel PC and want 32GB of fast memory that also looks good. DDR5-6400, XMP 3.0 and customizable RGB lighting make it particularly appealing for a build with a windowed case.

❌ Skip the Corsair Vengeance RGB if...

You're primarily interested in getting 32GB of DDR5 memory for the lowest possible price. You're paying extra for the white heat spreaders, RGB lighting and Corsair ecosystem.

Also consider

• Shop all RAM at Corsair.

• A new report from KB Securities gets very gloomy about the RAM crisis
• We're told the "memory chip market is heading toward a severe supply shortage" in 2027
• AI demand has ramped up massively with infrastructure investments up 60% year-on-year to $1.3 trillion, creating even more demand for memory as fuel for that rise

If you thought the RAM crisis was going to get worse next year, you're very probably right — but apparently we might suffer an even more severe shortage than some analysts already expect.

Wccftech flagged up an article from Business Korea (translated from Korean), which suggests that the RAM squeeze is tightening its grip on two of the biggest memory chip makers.

Citing a report from KB Securities, the rumor is that Samsung and SK Hynix are now down to fewer than 10 days of memory inventory, which is very close to running dry.

This has caused concerns that available memory supplies could dwindle and be depleted in 2027, with analysts believing that the "memory chip market is heading toward a severe supply shortage" (again, bear in mind this is a translation, but the message is clear enough).

KB Securities notes that the AI boom is what's causing this, as memory chip manufacturers struggle to meet demand for HBM4 memory in AI data centers. Infrastructure investments for AI development have been revised upwards to $1.3 trillion for 2027, we're told, which is a 60% year-on-year increase.

Kim Dong-won, head of research at KB Securities, told Business Korea that: "AI servers will absorb demand for not only HBM but also server DDR5 and enterprise SSDs, potentially leading to a historic shortage."

There's a brighter spot of news from laptop maker Framework though, which, as VideoCardz reports, has taken an unusual step in reducing the price of some of its products. As you may recall, Framework has been hiking laptop prices due to the increased cost of RAM (as have other notebook manufacturers), but the company just announced that it has secured some fresh memory modules at a lower price.

This means that some of its current Framework Laptop orders will be knocked down in price, and the company said on X that it's "retroactively reducing prices for orders that shipped at higher price" too.

Analysis: there's a historic level of gloom, that much is certain

It's impressive to see Framework acting in the best interests of its customers, particularly seeing as the firm could have (theoretically) kept quiet about bagging a batch of cheaper memory chips, and just kept the difference itself.

While that's commendable, it's a pretty small (but still welcome) bone we're being thrown in the face of the bad news for the RAM crisis here. Talk of a "historic shortage" is worrying, and it feels like this is an escalation of the recent chatter about global memory supply woes which has already turned highly negative.

While this latest report talks about server DDR5 RAM (and HBM), this will obviously have a bearing on consumer products, too. Those less profitable memory sticks are going to end up sidelined even further.

With rumors about GPU price hikes again coming to the fore this week, it's difficult to catch a breath between the bouts of bad news. We can hope that the pessimism is overblown here, but I can't shake the feeling that this seems unlikely.

DDR5 might be the memory standard for newer PCs, but it costs far more than DDR4, especially when you're shopping for faster or higher-capacity kits.

If you're upgrading a DDR4 system, I've found a terrific deal on the G.Skill 32GB Trident Z RGB for $215 (was $258) at Newegg when you use code LUYRF222.

For your money, you get two 16GB DDR4-3600 modules with CL18 timings, aluminum heat spreaders, customizable RGB lighting and Intel XMP 2.0 support.

Today's best DDR4 RAM deal

Why we recommend it

32GB is enough memory for demanding multitasking, gaming and creative applications. The DDR4-3600 speed is also a good fit for compatible DDR4 systems, particularly if you're upgrading an older machine that's currently running slower or lower-capacity memory.

The two matched 16GB modules provide a dual-channel configuration, with timings of 18-22-22-42 at 1.35V.

G.Skill's Trident Z design adds aluminum heat spreaders and customizable RGB lighting, making this a good choice if your PC has a windowed case and you want your memory to complement other RGB components.

Price context & historical value

Newegg sells the 32GB Skill Trident Z RGB kit for $257.49, and it's currently available for $249.99. Using coupon code LUYRF222 brings the final price down to $214.99.

While that's a decent price in today's inflated memory market, it's worth remembering just how much cheaper DDR4 used to be. Newegg sold this exact G.Skill kit for just $69.99 in August 2023, less than a third of its current discounted price.

Unfortunately, it's unlikely to drop down to that level again, so the current deal is worth considering if you need to upgrade your DDR4 system now.

Should you buy it?

✅ Buy the 32GB G.Skill Trident Z RGB kit if...

You have a compatible DDR4 desktop and want to increase its memory capacity without replacing your motherboard and processor to move to DDR5. The combination of 32GB capacity and DDR4-3600 speed makes it a solid upgrade for an older system.

❌ Skip the 32GB G.Skill Trident Z RGB kit if...

You're building a completely new PC around a recent processor and motherboard. In that situation, I'd seriously consider DDR5 instead, as you'll be investing in the newer memory standard rather than spending more than $200 on DDR4 that you won't be able to carry over to a future platform.

The Catch: What to know before you buy

You'll need to enable XMP, DOCP or A-XMP in your BIOS to reach the kit's advertised DDR4-3600 speed on compatible hardware. Otherwise, the memory will initially run at its default SPD speed.

Compatibility is also important. G.Skill recommends checking its motherboard QVL, and it specifically warns against mixing separate memory kits, even when their specifications appear identical, as doing so can cause stability problems.

• Shop all RAM at Newegg

• Japanese retailer warns of further GPU price hikes
• The retailer doesn't specify which GPUs will see increases
• Consumers are urged to buy now, but GPUs are already overpriced and unaffordable in many cases

The PC hardware market is still in disarray, with RAM shortages impacting almost every component, and unfortunately, matters could get even worse for GPU hunters.

As reported by VideoCardz, Japanese retailer Applied has warned consumers about potential price hikes for GPUs (yet again). It's unclear which GPU models this might apply to, but the retailer urges PC owners looking to upgrade their GPUs to buy as soon as possible.

VideoCardz also highlights that Japanese retailers only recently adjusted GPU prices upwards. In August, stores in Akihabara warned that pricing would be around 20% to 30% higher than usual.

Considering the recent rumblings of price hikes from Nvidia's board partners, it's fair to suggest that these increases will likely apply to other regions outside of Japan (assuming there's anything in these rumors).

If it wasn't exactly clear already, these price hikes are caused by the RAM crisis which is affecting all manner of PC components. Graphics cards are hit due to the rising cost of the video RAM on board.

Panic buying still isn't the best solution

PC owners are now hard-pressed to find affordable hardware upgrades, and it's been that way since the start of 2026. The RAM crisis is showing zero signs of slowing down, too, especially with reports from Samsung and industry analysts suggesting that the memory shortage will last past 2027 or beyond that, even.

Despite that, I still don't think it's the best idea to panic buy now when it comes to a GPU. Many Nvidia GeForce or AMD Radeon third-party GPUs are either unaffordable or overpriced at various major retailers. Prime examples of the former are the RTX 5080 at $1,699 at Best Buy in the US currently, while the RTX 5060 remains overpriced between $450 and $500, despite its $299 MSRP.

The same goes for AMD's Radeon RX 9070 XT, which has a $599 MSRP but can now cost up to $929 (specifically the Gigabyte overclocked model). The Radeon RX 9060 XT (16GB) also sits at least $200 to $300 above its MSRP, and the list goes on (in the US and elsewhere).

Simply put, buying a new GPU doesn't seem worth it unless you're a gamer looking to dive into the PC ecosystem for the first time. That's a harsh reality to accept, but panic buying might do more harm than good by increasing demand (which could lead to further short-term price hikes).

Ugreen's four-bay DH4300 Plus NAS device impressed us during our tests, from its elegant design to the beginner-friendly setup, ideal for creating your own private cloud in the home and small business. And right now, the Ugreen NAS DH4300 Plus has dropped to $374 (was $440) at Amazon.

It is aimed at home users, remote workers and NAS beginners, with four drive bays, 8GB of LPDDR4X memory, 2.5GbE networking, 4K HDMI output and support for up to 128TB of storage.

The DH4300 Plus can automatically back up photos and videos, organize images using AI-powered albums and act as a private cloud that you can access remotely from multiple devices.

Today's top Ugreen NAS DH4300 Plus deal

Why we recommend it

In his 4-star review, our expert Mark called the DH4300 Plus "great for homes and small businesses" and said it offered "an elegant design that delivers the basic functionality that most NAS users need at a price they can afford."

The four drive bays give you plenty of flexibility over how much storage you add, while RAID support lets you choose between maximizing capacity or adding redundancy.

Ugreen has done its best to make the software approachable for people buying their first NAS. Its apps support Windows, macOS, Android, iOS and web browsers, with remote access and automatic mobile photo backups.

He summed it up saying: "This NAS is designed to fit a specific niche: single or dual-purpose installations that require power efficiency and easy interfacing with other NAS hardware for backups. And, this NAS is perfectly poised to do those jobs without the need for the more exotic functionality that the DXP series already supports."

Price context & historical value

Amazon has cut the price of the Ugreen NAS DH4300 Plus from $439.99 to $373.98, giving you a saving of $66.01, or 15%. While this is a good reduction, it's not the cheapest the NAS has been. We saw it selling for between $305-$310 a little earlier in the year.

It's also worth noting the current price is for the diskless enclosure, so you'll still need to budget for compatible hard drives or SSDs. The total cost will depend on how much capacity you want.

Should you buy it?

✅ Buy the Ugreen NAS DH4300 Plus if...

You want to move away from recurring cloud-storage subscriptions and keep your photos, videos and documents under your own control. Four drive bays give you plenty of room to expand, and the relatively simple setup and mobile apps make this a more approachable option for NAS newcomers.

❌ Skip the Ugreen NAS DH4300 Plus if...

You need a more advanced NAS for running virtual machines or heavier server workloads. The DH4300 Plus supports Docker, but Ugreen specifically states that it doesn't support virtual machines, so a more powerful NAS will likely be a better fit for advanced users.

The Catch: What to know before you buy

No storage drives are included, despite the advertised maximum capacity, so the listed price is only the starting point. The maximum storage amount is based on compatible drives configured in RAID 0, which prioritizes capacity rather than redundancy.

There's also no Wi-Fi, so you'll need to connect the NAS to your router or network switch using Ethernet. Plex can be run through Docker, but the DH4300 Plus doesn't provide native virtual-machine support.

• Shop all NAS products at Amazon