{
  "id": 17802644,
  "title": "Windows 11 upgrades stall amid ‘chipflation’ and ‘RAMageddon’",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/02/windows-11-upgrades-stall-amid-chipflation-and-ramageddon",
  "topic": "tech",
  "section": "Tech",
  "published": "2026-11-02T13:19:26.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Computerworld",
    "slug": "computerworld",
    "url": "https://www.computerworld.com/article/4243258/windows-11-upgrades-stall-amid-chipflation-and-ramageddon.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Microsoft discontinued mainstream Windows 10 support a year ago, yet PC upgrades to Windows 11 have come to a halt, according to analysts. The primary reasons for this slowdown are high CPU prices, dubbed \"chipflation,\" and elevated memory prices, known as the \"RAMpocalypse\" or \"RAMageddon,\" which have inflated PC costs. Dean McCarron, a principal analyst at Mercury Research, explained that higher prices lead to reduced demand, creating a delayed upgrade cycle. Microsoft's Windows revenue from PC manufacturers declined by 27% in its most recent quarter, falling short of projections, as reported by CFO Amy Hood during the company's earnings call. Following Windows 10's surge in upgrades last year, sales have since slowed, according to Hood. PC makers, who pay Microsoft for a Windows license with each unit sold, are still burdened with unsold inventory, Hood added. StatCounter data indicates that a consistent number of PC users remain on Windows 10 well into 2026. In September, Windows 10 remained on 27.7% of global Windows PCs, up slightly from 26.45% in February. This period coincided with a PC market downturn due to high RAM prices, tariff uncertainties, and the Iran war. Windows 11's share of Windows PCs surged from around half in October 2025 to 72.57% in February, following the end of mainstream Windows 10 support, before dropping to 71.5% in September. Windows 10 extended security updates are accessible for both businesses at a high cost and consumers. Enterprises face a more complex upgrade decision-making process than price-based choices, stated Neil Shah, vice president of research at Counterpoint Research. Companies within a Windows 10 end-of-support replacement cycle must weigh whether to invest in pricey AI PCs. Shah noted that all these factors are dampening demand and delaying the replacement cycle. While a surge in PC purchases ahead of memory-driven price hikes boosted shipments by 3.2% in the first quarter of 2026, PC shipments declined by 4% in the second quarter and 21% in the third quarter. Commercial PC replacements and Windows migrations offered some market stability, but they were insufficient to counteract the overall market contraction, Shah said. Analysts are divided on when PC prices will stabilize but agree that it won't be in 2027. McCarron suggested that memory prices will stay elevated as long as most supply is allocated to data centers for the AI boom. Intel's recent earnings call indicated that its PC chip business will remain sluggish through the rest of 2026 and into 2027. Its cheapest PC chip, Wildcat Lake, is currently sold out. Memory and PC component supply constraints may endure through 2029, according to Hyperframe Research's Steven Dickens. PC vendors are coping with the situation through limited configurations and bundles. Although AI is not yet driving PC upgrades, which are primarily following a typical cycle, high-end machines capable of running LLMs locally are beginning to influence the market. \"We are witnessing power user devices for local LLM deployment beginning to impact the market share average,\" Dickens explained. Ultimately, if a soft PC market persists for too long, it could lead to a more significant boom a year later, McCarron concluded.",
  "summary": "Microsoft ended mainstream Windows 10 support a year ago, but PC upgrades to Windows 11 have ground to a halt, analysts said. Relief may not come until 2028 or even 2029, as high CPU prices, which analysts call “chipflation,” and high memory prices, widely known as the “RAMpocalypse” or “RAMageddon,” keep PC prices up. PC prices were already high, and recent steps like Intel raising CPU prices…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}