Reviving old PCs with Linux now that new ones cost an arm and a leg

Apple's sharp price increases on laptops and other gear, driven by a datacenter-related computer parts shortage, have made new PCs unaffordable. The RAM crisis is expected to persist for years, prompting users to revive old PCs with Linux as a cost-effective alternative.

Apple sharply raising the prices of laptops and other gear https://boingboing.net/2026/06/25/apple-raises-prices-because-ai-ate-the-ram.html brought home that the datacenter-driven computer parts shortage https://www.cnbc.com/2026/06/26/ai-memory-chip-shortage-consumer-electronics-prices.html is only getting worse. It will be years before prices fall https://tech.sportskeeda.com/gaming-news/ram-prices-unlikely-drop-2030 , with RAM at the epicenter of the crisis. The long-awaited Steam Box is $1049 to start https://boingboing.net/2026/06/23/valves-steam-machine-will-run-you-at-least-a-thousand-dollars.html , with disappointing specifications. — Read the rest https://boingboing.net/2026/06/27/reviving-old-pcs-with-linux-now-that-new-ones-cost-an-arm-and-a-leg.html The post Reviving old PCs with Linux now that new ones cost an arm and a leg https://boingboing.net/2026/06/27/reviving-old-pcs-with-linux-now-that-new-ones-cost-an-arm-and-a-leg.html appeared first on Boing Boing https://boingboing.net .