Technology

Raspberry Pi and mini PC home lab prices hit parity as DRAM costs skyrocket — price hikes force hobbyists to weigh up performance versus power consumption

Source

Tom's Hardware

Published

Jan 6, 2026

TL;DR

AI Generated

The Raspberry Pi and mini PC home lab prices have reached parity due to rising DRAM costs, forcing hobbyists to consider performance versus power consumption. Prices for Raspberry Pi boards are now comparable to Intel N100-based mini PCs like GMKTec. The increase in flash memory costs and tariff uncertainties has led to price hikes across the board for mini PC manufacturers. As a result, building homelabs with mini PCs has become a more cost-effective option compared to Raspberry Pi setups. The trend of repurposing old hardware may continue due to ongoing price shocks in the market.

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Lexar regional manager says that RAM prices are expected to double by the end of the year — 'discounts' and stabilized prices result from distributors getting rid of old stock or sourcing products from other regions

Lexar's Regional Manager for Australia & New Zealand predicts that RAM prices will double by the end of the year due to high demand for memory chips in AI build-outs. While some retailers are offering discounts on RAM modules, this is mainly to clear old stock before new, more expensive supplies arrive. Industry experts now expect RAM prices to keep rising throughout the year, with shortages affecting not just desktops and laptops but also smartphones and other devices. Consumers are advised to purchase RAM now as prices are unlikely to decrease anytime soon.

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Tom's Hardware•

1 week ago

Lexar regional manager says that RAM prices are expected to double by the end of the year — 'discounts' and stabilized prices result from distributors getting rid of old stock or sourcing products from other regions

Tom's Hardware•

1 week ago

Taiwanese startup FormulaV Line wants to break into US market with two new unique cases — company expects products to become available on Newegg later this year

Tom's Hardware•

1 week ago

G.Skill explains how AMD EXPO ULL unlocks additional performance — expanded profiles allow memory makers to include subtiming tweaks for the first time

Tom's Hardware•

1 week ago

Huawei-led team claims it post-trained DeepSeek's 1.6-trillion-parameter model — 1,000 Ascend 910C chips used in training

Tom's Hardware•

1 week ago

Raspberry Pi and mini PC home lab prices hit parity as DRAM costs skyrocket — price hikes force hobbyists to weigh up performance versus power consumption

TL;DR

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Lexar regional manager says that RAM prices are expected to double by the end of the year — 'discounts' and stabilized prices result from distributors getting rid of old stock or sourcing products from other regions

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Raspberry Pi and mini PC home lab prices hit parity as DRAM costs skyrocket — price hikes force hobbyists to weigh up performance versus power consumption

TL;DR

Similar Articles

Lexar regional manager says that RAM prices are expected to double by the end of the year — 'discounts' and stabilized prices result from distributors getting rid of old stock or sourcing products from other regions

Taiwanese startup FormulaV Line wants to break into US market with two new unique cases — company expects products to become available on Newegg later this year

G.Skill explains how AMD EXPO ULL unlocks additional performance — expanded profiles allow memory makers to include subtiming tweaks for the first time

Huawei-led team claims it post-trained DeepSeek's 1.6-trillion-parameter model — 1,000 Ascend 910C chips used in training