Could be that folks start writing super tight code again. Code that maximise every last kilobyte of RAM so that you don't need double-digit GBs of the stuff just to launch a bloated text editor on an even more bloated operating system
Problem is that half the coders these days need AI assistance just to come up with the code needed to to print 'Hello World' in a console.
It would certainly be nice to see more efficiency! Modern frameworks are so heavy. And so many Windows apps are browser engines that run a single web app these days.
The industry has been stuck on "Just throw more hardware at the problem" for so long. This is a big problem in PC gaming, too -- lots of modern engines are heavy and inefficient, and the performance is often "fixed" by AI upscaling like DLSS.
Who knew! Because of the EOL on Windows 10, I decided to upgrade my two main PCs. One was a 5-year-old HP 17-inch Laptop. Ironically, I never traveled with it, not once; I just put a 43-inch curved monitor, mouse, and keyboard, and used it for work over the pandemic. Over that time, problems with Bluetooth, trackpad, and battery made it into a desktop, LOL. But no worries. The other was a 10-year-old HP tower. Both had 32 GB of RAM.
The point is that, as a Windows Software Deployment engineer, I always used my devices as virtual labs, and when I purchased them, 32 GB was the maximum configuration. I have found that buying the maximum RAM at the time of purchase means my devices last longer. The bottom line is that by spending more upfront, you save money, a lot of money, by not having to upgrade as often or as the old cliche states, "If you buy cheap, you buy twice (or more). This has been my experience over the last 30 years.
So when the Microsoft Surface Pro 11th Edition, Snapdragon X31, 1 TB drive, 32 GB RAM, came out, I wanted to be on the cutting edge. However, at first, this device was bleeding edge; that was in March of 2025. Now compatibility issues have been remediated, and it is a nice device.
The Surface Pro Flex Keyboard with backlighting is excellent; no need for a plugin keyboard, which amazed me.
Then, on impulse in July, while on Amazon Prime, I purchased a mini pc, specifically a Beelink SEi14 Mini PC, Intel Ultra 9 185H (up to 5.1GHz) 16C/22T, Mini Computer 96GB DDR5 5600MHz 2TB PCIe4.0 SSD, Triple Display HDMI&DP/Thunderbolt 4/WiFi6/BT5.2/NPU/4K 60Hz/Support AI (New)
Look closely at the config: 96GB Ram, Intel Ultra 9 5.1 GHz, the ultimate virtual personal lab, for $1000. The Beelink company's configurations are changing rapidly, and the current ones are being tweaked to keep the price close.
After 6 months with this device, using Hyper-V, I am delighted. Only minor driver issues, which I resolved and notified the manufacturer. They responded with a thank you within 48 hours—a Chinese company, of course.
So, as far as the RAM issue goes, buy now and buy as much as you can afford.
However, the relatively low RAM prices we enjoyed for so long will return. In fact, I think that within two years we will have a glut of RAM, because the rush to build data centers is going to plateau by then, RAM manufacturers will have overbuilt, and OOPS, we have too much RAM and not enough demand. It won't take a decade, as suggested, because the RAM makers aren't going to leave the money on the table that long; they want it all, and they want it now. Isn't the invisible hand of capitalism a wonderful thing?
But just to finish my upgrade Journey, I took an old Mac Pro (Mid 2012) and reimaged it to Windows 10, and then used Rufus to upgrade it to Windows 11, damn the security, full speed ahead, and did the same thing to my old HP tower.
It is ironic that now that I have retired, I have all the personal hardware I could want to play with SCCM, Intune, and I forgot to mention the various Linux distros I have loaded as VMs in Hyper-V.
Right now, you are working hard to pay the bills while doing something you love. I appreciate your unbiased information. Fight the good fight!
I hope things do stabilize! Thanks for all your kind words -- I'm glad the Beelink PC worked for you. I've heard so many good things about those mini PCs.
It's really neat that a mid-2012 Mac Pro can run Windows 11 well, that's awesome!
Could be that folks start writing super tight code again. Code that maximise every last kilobyte of RAM so that you don't need double-digit GBs of the stuff just to launch a bloated text editor on an even more bloated operating system
Problem is that half the coders these days need AI assistance just to come up with the code needed to to print 'Hello World' in a console.
Catch-22, anyone?
It would certainly be nice to see more efficiency! Modern frameworks are so heavy. And so many Windows apps are browser engines that run a single web app these days.
The industry has been stuck on "Just throw more hardware at the problem" for so long. This is a big problem in PC gaming, too -- lots of modern engines are heavy and inefficient, and the performance is often "fixed" by AI upscaling like DLSS.
Who knew! Because of the EOL on Windows 10, I decided to upgrade my two main PCs. One was a 5-year-old HP 17-inch Laptop. Ironically, I never traveled with it, not once; I just put a 43-inch curved monitor, mouse, and keyboard, and used it for work over the pandemic. Over that time, problems with Bluetooth, trackpad, and battery made it into a desktop, LOL. But no worries. The other was a 10-year-old HP tower. Both had 32 GB of RAM.
The point is that, as a Windows Software Deployment engineer, I always used my devices as virtual labs, and when I purchased them, 32 GB was the maximum configuration. I have found that buying the maximum RAM at the time of purchase means my devices last longer. The bottom line is that by spending more upfront, you save money, a lot of money, by not having to upgrade as often or as the old cliche states, "If you buy cheap, you buy twice (or more). This has been my experience over the last 30 years.
So when the Microsoft Surface Pro 11th Edition, Snapdragon X31, 1 TB drive, 32 GB RAM, came out, I wanted to be on the cutting edge. However, at first, this device was bleeding edge; that was in March of 2025. Now compatibility issues have been remediated, and it is a nice device.
The Surface Pro Flex Keyboard with backlighting is excellent; no need for a plugin keyboard, which amazed me.
Then, on impulse in July, while on Amazon Prime, I purchased a mini pc, specifically a Beelink SEi14 Mini PC, Intel Ultra 9 185H (up to 5.1GHz) 16C/22T, Mini Computer 96GB DDR5 5600MHz 2TB PCIe4.0 SSD, Triple Display HDMI&DP/Thunderbolt 4/WiFi6/BT5.2/NPU/4K 60Hz/Support AI (New)
Look closely at the config: 96GB Ram, Intel Ultra 9 5.1 GHz, the ultimate virtual personal lab, for $1000. The Beelink company's configurations are changing rapidly, and the current ones are being tweaked to keep the price close.
After 6 months with this device, using Hyper-V, I am delighted. Only minor driver issues, which I resolved and notified the manufacturer. They responded with a thank you within 48 hours—a Chinese company, of course.
So, as far as the RAM issue goes, buy now and buy as much as you can afford.
However, the relatively low RAM prices we enjoyed for so long will return. In fact, I think that within two years we will have a glut of RAM, because the rush to build data centers is going to plateau by then, RAM manufacturers will have overbuilt, and OOPS, we have too much RAM and not enough demand. It won't take a decade, as suggested, because the RAM makers aren't going to leave the money on the table that long; they want it all, and they want it now. Isn't the invisible hand of capitalism a wonderful thing?
But just to finish my upgrade Journey, I took an old Mac Pro (Mid 2012) and reimaged it to Windows 10, and then used Rufus to upgrade it to Windows 11, damn the security, full speed ahead, and did the same thing to my old HP tower.
It is ironic that now that I have retired, I have all the personal hardware I could want to play with SCCM, Intune, and I forgot to mention the various Linux distros I have loaded as VMs in Hyper-V.
Right now, you are working hard to pay the bills while doing something you love. I appreciate your unbiased information. Fight the good fight!
I hope things do stabilize! Thanks for all your kind words -- I'm glad the Beelink PC worked for you. I've heard so many good things about those mini PCs.
It's really neat that a mid-2012 Mac Pro can run Windows 11 well, that's awesome!