Summary created by Smart Answers AI
In summary:
- PCWorld reveals that prebuilt PCs now offer superior value over custom builds in 2026, with manufacturers’ component stockpiles keeping prices stable despite rising RAM and SSD costs.
- Previous-generation systems like the Acer Aspire 16 AI at $1,099 provide exceptional deals, while retailers like Costco and Best Buy offer significant savings on clearance models.
- Smart buyers should avoid component upgrades and instead purchase complete systems with desired specs upfront, as building PCs is no longer cost-effective.
PC hardware prices are up, but not across the board. RAM prices were the first to skyrocket, then SSD prices followed. It’s affecting all kinds of stuff now—like Nvidia skipping new consumer GPUs this year—and the AI-driven crunch is fanning the flames of 2025’s tariff chaos.
You might think PCs have now become prohibitively expensive… but it’s more nuanced than that. Decent PCs aren’t entirely out of reach just yet if you know where to look and what to avoid.
If you’re going to buy a new PC this year, here’s what you need to know to make sure you get a good deal.
Don’t build. Go with a prebuilt PC
I’ve been building my own PCs for decades, but those days are gone. No more putting together a list of components and price-matching to get the best deals from my local PC hardware store. Our advice if you’re thinking of building a PC in 2026? Just don’t.
Rather than assembling a PC from parts, look for a prebuilt desktop PC or a laptop. Stores like Costco, Best Buy, and Walmart still offer excellent deals on everything from prebuilt gaming desktop PCs to workstation laptops. Price out the components and you might be surprised.
For example, one of Costco’s least expensive desktop gaming PCs is this CyberPowerPC Gamer Xtreme system. For $1,100, it comes with 32GB of DDR5 RAM, a 2TB PCIe 4.0 SSD, and an Nvidia GeForce RTX 5060 GPU. If you were buying parts, you’d be spending something like $360 for the RAM, $280 for the SSD, and $360 for the GPU at current prices. That’s already up to $1,000 and we haven’t even included the CPU, motherboard, case, or the other stuff.
Now, if you caught a system like this on sale, it would be an even better value. But my point is, you aren’t going to save money by buying parts right now. Prebuilt systems are where the value is.
PC makers want their PCs to sell
Today, prebuilt PCs are generally less expensive because hardware manufacturers have stockpiled components and are prepared to move units. While some companies (like Micron) are discontinuing their consumer brands to focus on enterprise customers, consumer-focused PC manufacturers have no choice but to keep selling PCs.
According to reports, PC manufacturers like Lenovo have stockpiled RAM and other components ahead of the shortage. Even though Lenovo is reportedly raising prices anyway, not all PC manufacturers are doing so across the board. It’s very different from what we’re seeing happen to RAM and SSD prices, which are largely following the market. While PC makers may raise prices, lots of existing machines on store shelves haven’t seen price increases… and probably won’t.
Indeed, most PC makers haven’t raised prices on existing laptops or desktop PCs. They may have agreements with retailers preventing them from doing so. And yet, those machines still come with the same RAM and SSDs they had at launch, which makes them an amazing value—a far better value than they used to be, for sure.
In the long run, it’s unclear what’ll happen to PC part prices. PC makers are already looking for new sources of RAM, but for now at least they aren’t immediately raising prices to match the market price of said components. So, now’s still a good time to buy.
Shop the sales for serious value
PC sales have always been an amazing source of value. Previous-generation systems often get big price cuts—or even get put on clearance—to make room for newer machines.
My advice? Instead of looking for the latest and greatest hardware at full retail price, scoop up an older-gen system at a big discount. That’s where the real value is. If you’re in the market for a solid-value laptop, check out our list of the best laptop deals (updated daily).
I can’t emphasize this enough: in the PC market, you can often save tons of cash by snapping up machines on sale. In fact, retail prices are often inflated to make room for said price cuts later.
Don’t upgrade your PC in 2026
I’ve previously encouraged upgrading your PC. You can give an old PC a new lease on life with some new RAM, and it was once less expensive to buy a base-model laptop and upgrade its SSD and RAM than to buy a higher-spec system right off the shelf.
Chris Hoffman / Foundry
This advice doesn’t hold water anymore in 2026. If you’re buying a new PC, ensure it has the hardware you want when you buy it. It’ll likely be less expensive to get a machine that comes equipped with more RAM now than to buy extra RAM at market price later.
Likewise, if you have an old PC that needs new hardware, think carefully before upgrading its components. For the price of a RAM and SSD upgrade, you may be able to get a whole new mini PC instead. (Check out our roundup of the best mini PC deals worth jumping on.)
Embrace last-generation hardware
While I’m impressed by Intel’s new Panther Lake hardware, you don’t need it for good performance. Last-gen Lunar Lake and Arrow Lake CPUs are still good. And, if you’re buying a mini PC or gaming PC, you may not even notice whether it’s a 2025 model or 2026 model.
Foundry / Chris Hoffman
Intel’s Lunar Lake (Core Ultra Series 2) is an interesting piece of this puzzle, though. Lunar Lake hardware comes with on-package memory—either 16GB or 32GB of RAM—which PC manufacturers get from Intel along with their CPUs. While Core Ultra Series 3 is now here, Core Ultra Series 2 hardware will still be on the shelves. And, since it’s last-generation hardware, it’ll also likely see sales and deals.
I just reviewed the Acer Aspire 16 AI laptop, which comes with 32GB of RAM and 2TB of storage for $1,099—and that price hasn’t gone up even with the current hardware shortage. In fact, I bet you’ll be able to find machines like this one on sale for even less now.
Plus, laptops and desktop PCs with last-gen hardware often go on clearance to make room. Even if they’re not on clearance, they’re more likely to go on deep discount. Last year’s PCs are still great and I bet most people will be more than happy with them. This is honestly one of the best ways to outsmart the current RAM crisis.
Don’t give up!
Social media is full of doom and gloom around PC prices. Don’t get sucked into the idea that the PC’s golden age is behind us as hardware shifts to AI data centers and enterprise computing.
Yes, it’s a rough time to buy components right now, especially if you want to build your own PC. But it’s not the end of the world yet. You can still find lots of great deals and PCs at great prices if you put in a little legwork. We’re still in the golden age, and I refuse to believe otherwise.
