Why Everything Got More Expensive: The Memory Crisis, Explained (via Dave2D)

The price of the 1 TB Steam Deck OLED jumped $300 overnight, from $649 to $949, as part of a broader price increase across laptops, mini PCs, and handhelds driven by a memory-pricing crisis. Roughly 90% of the world's DRAM is made by just three companies — Samsung, SK Hynix, and Micron — which have shifted production toward high-bandwidth memory for AI chips, reducing supply of regular memory and driving up costs for consumer devices. The price hikes reflect a genuine component crunch rather than manufacturer greed, with memory costs reportedly tripling what companies like Valve and Apple want to pay.

If you've noticed that everything — laptops, mini PCs, handhelds, even the famously cheap Steam Deck — got more expensive lately, you're not imagining it. The 1 TB Steam Deck OLED jumped $300 overnight from $649 to $949 , and Dave2D's latest video explains the root cause better than anything we've seen: a memory-pricing crisis driven by the AI boom. We summarized it so you understand exactly what's happening to the prices on every device we cover. Full explainer: "Even The Steam Deck Got Hit" — Dave2D Why prices exploded It comes down to memory. Roughly 90% of the world's DRAM is made by just three companies — Samsung, SK Hynix, and Micron. There are three flavors: DDR desktops , LPDDR laptops and phones , and HBM the high-bandwidth memory inside the NVIDIA GPUs that run AI . Here's the killer detail: HBM needs roughly three times the factory capacity per gigabyte as regular memory, and its yields are brutal — Dave notes 35–40% of HBM output is scrapped. Because HBM is wildly profitable, the big three have shifted production toward it. Less regular DRAM is being made, demand stays high, and prices climb — until you get a nearly $1,000 Steam Deck. Why it's not just "greedy companies" The useful takeaway for buyers: this isn't Valve or Apple, or ASUS padding margins. The memory and storage inside these devices reportedly cost triple what manufacturers want to pay. It's also why the cheapest entry-level Mac mini quietly disappeared, why the Switch 2 got a pre-launch bump, and why the mini PCs we cover keep nudging up in price. The finger, Dave argues, points at the memory makers — an industry that learned to never overproduce after decades of boom-bust collapses. What viewers are saying The comment section appreciated the clarity — and captured the mood: "Every computer in my house is worth more or the same as what I bought it for 2 to 5 years ago — but even if I sell them to make a profit, I can't afford to buy anything to fill their place." — @Collin J Others praised the breakdown itself: "One of the best explanations of the whole RAM situation and pricing… the difference between DDR, LPDDR and HBM" @GetVladimir . It's a rare video where the educational detour is the value. What people on Reddit are saying The frustration is everywhere. r/gaming's "Steam Deck Price Increase" https://www.reddit.com/r/gaming/comments/1tpc6g9/?ref=vettedconsumer.com thread is full of buyers retreating to their backlogs and older consoles, with a weary "you will own nothing and like it" running through it. But there's a real glimmer of hope worth watching: r/technology has been circulating reports that memory prices may fall as China ramps up DRAM and NAND output https://www.reddit.com/r/technology/comments/1tkom9n/?ref=vettedconsumer.com , flooding the market. If that plays out, the current pricing could ease over the next year — which directly affects when you should buy. The bottom line If you need a device now , go in clear-eyed: today's prices reflect a genuine component crunch, not a temporary sale gap, so don't wait for a "deal" that may not come this quarter. If you can hold, watching the DRAM supply story is the smart move — added Chinese capacity could bring relief. For anyone buying anyway, the Steam Deck OLED https://www.amazon.com/s?k=Steam+Deck+OLED&tag=57eqvt-20&ref=vettedconsumer.com is still one of the best-value handhelds even at the new price, precisely because Valve subsidizes the hardware. And if you're upgrading a desktop, lock in DDR5 kits https://www.amazon.com/s?k=DDR5+RAM+32GB&tag=57eqvt-20&ref=vettedconsumer.com sooner rather than later.