The supposed never-ending AI party has drained the world of all affordable RAM. If you were planning on buying a PC any time in the near future, expect it to be more like a potluck than a wine and dine affair. More companies are going to be asking you to show up to a PC building brunch with a bottle of wine and a bundle of memory sticks clutched in your fists.
Starting in 2026, we’ll see pre-configured PCs ship without any RAM (random access memory) at all. Instead, customers are being asked to trawl through the swamps of digital stores and resellers to find a fair deal for compatible memory. Today, custom PC builder Maingear shared details on its new BYO (bring your own) RAM program. Now, instead of ordering the full pre-configured kit, you can either rip your memory out of an older build or source the sticks yourself.
Essentially, if you plan to buy Maingear, you can either ship the company your own old RAM or buy it separately and have it mailed to the company’s New Jersey-based headquarters, where staff will test it with its “standard validation” process. Over email, the company told us that systems with BYO RAM will cost less than models purchased with RAM, though components fluctuate based on the market. In addition, if a customer sends in RAM that’s not used in the build, “then it will be returned with the PC or separately.”
Of course, the difficult part will be finding an affordable price for your RAM. Costs for gaming-ready memory have become so untenable on sites like Amazon, you can only find select sticks of 32GB memory from makers like G.Skill for upwards of $500 (the same two 16GB sticks sold for less than $200 just three months ago). Scalpers on eBay continue to push what is acceptable by selling sticks for well over a 500% markup.
“Over the past several months, memory pricing has been hit by a perfect storm: rising demand from AI infrastructure, tighter allocation from major manufacturers, and constrained availability across popular DDR5 capacities and speeds,” Maingear said in its BYO RAM program announcement. “The result has been price spikes, inconsistent retail inventory, and a growing “buy it when you see it” mentality among PC builders.
Maingear previously told Wccftech that it had been able to work with vendors and reuse existing stock to keep prices low. That seems to no longer be the case. This BYO RAM practice will likely become more common in the high-end gaming PC space. Last week, pre-config maker Paradox Customs announced it was giving users the option to select no RAM when buying a PC.
Due to ongoing RAM shortages and the price of ram skyrocketing, we are now providing the option to select no ram in the build section of our website!
If you already have RAM sticks or can source them elsewhere, feel free to use this option ✅ pic.twitter.com/rlGLPpfznC
— Paradox Customs (@Brparadox) December 19, 2025
The inflated price of memory is forcing smaller tech companies to completely rethink how they do business. The prebuilt PC market has long depended on consistent prices for components. Companies like Maingear charge a premium for their pre-configured desktop towers with the promise that the parts are tested, function well, and look good to boot. They also promise extra customer service if something ever goes wrong with their machine. Asking customers to source RAM themselves requires customers to stay up-to-date on memory speeds and compatibility.
Whether the usual pre-config buyer is willing to go the extra mile will determine how well the pre-config market can survive. The new potluck style of prebuilt PC building will necessarily turn some customers away. However, if you’re sitting on your hands, hoping prices come down, memory brands like Micron and SK Hynix have publicly stated they expect the memory shortage will continue throughout 2026, and prices won’t come down until 2027 or even 2028. Laptops may reduce the size of their RAM to keep prices low. If your PC isn’t too old, you’re likely better off sticking with what works.
