3/3/2026 - AI ate all your RAM (and storage and GPUs), and everything is more expensive now because of it.

Love or hate AI, one thing is certain: the PC parts market is currently suffering a shortage even more profound than that of the crypto mining craze or COVID-19. AI datacenters and the companies training new models have purchased nearly the bulk of manufacturing capacity, leaving consumers to fight over dwindling supply. Memory has doubled, tripled, or even quadrupled in price in recent months, depending on the particular model. SSDs have roughly doubled in price. Micron, a major manufacturer of both, has pulled out of the consumer market, shutting down its brand, Crucial. GPUs, which are both used for AI models directly, and which themselves require a substantial amount of high speed GDDR memory, are heavily effected as well, with some models more than doubling in price. Laptops, prebuilt desktops, and even phones and tablets have not escaped the shortages and price hikes.

While this bubble is sure to burst eventually, there is no immediate end in sight, with major manufacturers estimating escalating shortages all the way through 2026 and continuing through 2027 and perhaps even into 2028. This comes at a time when a great number of Windows 10 machines are either operating without software and driver updates, or are running on borrowed time using the ESU program, which is slated to cease being free before the end of the year. This is all to say that it is more important than ever to keep your machine operating in good condition, as repairs or replacements are and will continue to be much more costly than in previous years. If you are in need of a repair or an upgrade, I recommend that you act quickly to avoid further costs. If you are still running Windows 10, now is the time to upgrade to 11 before your system falls victim to known vulnerabilities.

Lastly, I would like to give all my customers notice that these conditions will likely require me to adjust my pricing in the near future. As always, my goal is to provide you with the best value, and as such, I will delay pricing adjustments until strictly necessary, but with the rapid ongoing developments, it would be wise to expect an adjustment within the next month.

ATCC is an independently owned and operated custom computer design, troubleshooting, and repair business. I'm a geek who loves computers, not a retail salesperson with a quota, and I hope it shows. Unlike big-box stores, I do not have any affiliation with part manufacturers and thus do not push products that are not in my customers' best interests.

I am located at "The Promenade" in Bethesda, MD.

Standard Service is $60 per hour, plus the price of any required products. 

Special hours service is $90 an hour, plus the price of parts, where applicable. 

Available by appointment most days from noon to 7 PM.

Call or text (202) 803 -2822 or email at arman.troncone@gmail.com to schedule an appointment.