- Sapphire's PR manager, Edward Crisler, urges consumers to avoid panic buying during the RAM crisis
- RAM prices are reaching unprecedented levels due to AI demand
- Crisler predicts pricing stability for RAM in the next six to eight months
Concerns of RAM prices spiraling out of control due to the AI boom are running rampant among PC consumers, especially with estimates of more 8GB configurations than usual in 2026. Fortunately, a major manufacturer has introduced some calm to the raging storm.
As reported by TweakTown, Sapphire's PR manager, Edward Crisler, has predicted pricing stability for RAM in 2026 and urged consumers to avoid panic buying in an interview with Hardware Unboxed.
This comes after estimates and predictions suggest that the RAM crisis may last beyond 2026, and speculation that AMD Radeon GPU prices will increase next year. Crisler took the opportunity to reassure consumers in the PC market, despite acknowledging the uncertainty.
"I truly believe that within six to eight months, we're going to see the market begin to stabilize," Crisler said. "We've got to stop the panic. There's a lot of good news for PC gamers that don't realize it exists right now."
Crisler reiterates that gamers shouldn't be compelled to jump to upgrades on new hardware due to sudden price hikes, stating, "Don't buy because you have to buy. Put your money away. Relax. Play some games. Enjoy the system you've got right now, and then, when this [RAM crisis] calms down, now you can make educated guesses as to where [upgrade] you go next."
It's a very fair request from Sapphire; unless consumers urgently need an upgrade or there are a few who are looking to enter the PC gaming ecosystem, this RAM crisis shouldn't be too impactful – especially, if Crisler's prediction of stability after six months becomes a reality.
With the AI boom still going strong, it's no surprise to see the demand for RAM skyrocketing, but Sapphire's positive stance of patience on the matter seems to be the most sensible and reasonable one among all the chaos.
Analysis: Patience is a virtue, and that applies to this RAM crisis
Fortunately, GPUs haven't seen a massive impact from the RAM crisis yet. Prices for Radeon and Nvidia's RTX GPUs are higher than MSRP (and RRP), but this has been the case since launch in 2025.
However, price increases for GPUs are likely going to occur in 2026, as this situation directly affects VRAM. We've already heard rumors of both AMD and Nvidia potentially discontinuing some of their budget GPUs to save costs on RAM, so it wouldn't be a far fetch to suggest that the GPU market won't go unaffected.
If you're in dire need of a PC hardware upgrade, specifically a new GPU, I would still advise keeping an eye out for reasonable winter discounts, but it's only a matter of time until the AI boom begins to slow down, ultimately decreasing the high demand for RAM, as Sapphire's PR manager highlighted.
Panic buying may only make matters worse, as it will encourage scalpers to take advantage of consumers, so it's best to spend wisely at this stage.
➡️ Read our full guide to the best graphics card
1. Best overall:
AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT
2. Best budget:
Intel Arc B580
3. Best Nvidia:
Nvidia RTX 5070 Ti
4. Best AMD:
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