How to Plan a PC Refresh in a Tight, Costly Market?
Direct answer: A successful PC refresh in 2026 requires forecasting demand early, matching devices to user roles, and consolidating sourcing under a strategic partner — because a global memory shortage and AI-driven hardware requirements are raising prices, shrinking configuration options, and compressing the window organizations have to act before costs climb further.
Navigating Rising Device Costs, AI-Driven Change, and Supply Uncertainty
For years, PC refresh followed a predictable rhythm. Organizations replaced devices every few years, budgeted from last cycle's numbers, and worked from consistent quotes. That rhythm has been disrupted.
A global shortage of memory components is raising PC prices and tightening supply across the industry. At the same time, AI is changing what devices need to do. IT leaders are also dealing with higher user expectations, a more complex security landscape, and steady pressure to do more with less. For many organizations, the takeaway is uncomfortable but clear: waiting to modernize often means paying more later, with fewer options and more risk.
This guide covers what's driving the shift, where organizations lose ground, and how to plan a refresh you control rather than one you react to.
Why Are PC Costs Rising in 2026?
Direct answer: PC costs are rising in 2026 because of two converging forces — a global DRAM and NAND memory shortage and a shift toward AI-ready hardware configurations that require more memory per device.
Memory constraints. DRAM (the fast memory that runs applications) and NAND (the storage that keeps data when the power is off) are in short supply. Industry analysts expected PC prices to rise about 15% in early 2026¹, and organizations are seeing shorter quote validity and more frequent price changes.
AI-ready configurations. Modern AI workloads need more advanced components and more memory, so memory makes up a larger share of every PC dollar. A refresh budget that covered a full fleet last cycle may cover noticeably less this time.
How Is AI Pulling PC Refresh Timelines Forward?
Direct answer: AI is accelerating refresh timelines because it is changing both how PCs are built and how employees use them daily — pushing more processing onto the device itself and making older hardware a functional and security bottleneck.
AI isn't another feature cycle. It's changing how PCs are built and used:
AI PCs are becoming standard. Nearly all PCs on the market are expected to be AI PCs by 2028².
AI is moving into everyday apps. By 2027, two-thirds of the top 100 enterprise apps running on PCs are expected to include generative AI features that can run locally on the device³.
Employees aren't waiting. About 75% of knowledge workers already use AI at work, and many bring their own tools⁴.
As more AI work runs on the device instead of the cloud, older hardware becomes a bottleneck. It can also become a security and governance risk.
Where Do Organizations Lose Ground During a PC Refresh?
Direct answer: Organizations lose ground when they delay refresh decisions, stretch aging devices past their useful life, rely on fragmented vendor relationships, or provision hardware without matching it to user needs.
Delaying to "wait out" the market. Pausing a refresh until prices settle can feel prudent. Memory price cycles can last several quarters, though, and delays usually trade short-term budget relief for lost productivity and frustrated employees.
Stretching aging devices. Keeping PCs in service longer under supply pressure adds security exposure and management overhead, especially as AI tools bring new data-access risks.
Fragmented vendors and point solutions. Combining devices, security tools, and support from multiple vendors adds complexity at the moment IT teams have the least capacity for it.
Overprovisioning or underprovisioning. Buying the same configuration for everyone wastes budget on some users and leaves others underpowered for AI workloads.
How Can Organizations Get Ahead of Rising PC Costs?
Direct answer: Organizations can get ahead of rising PC costs by forecasting demand early, matching devices to user roles, treating refresh as a platform upgrade, consolidating vendors, and exploring flexible acquisition models.
Forecast early and lock in configurations. Organizations that share forecasts and standardize preferred configurations early are better placed to secure supply and manage price increases than those waiting for prices to drop.
Match devices to roles. Map users into personas such as task workers, knowledge workers, and power users so spending goes where it matters most.
Treat refresh as a platform upgrade. A modern fleet is the foundation for rolling out AI use cases, strengthening endpoint security, and simplifying management.
Consolidate where it makes sense. One strategic partner across devices, security, and lifecycle services can reduce complexity and make it easier to scale.
Look at flexible acquisition models. Device-as-a-service and asset recovery programs can turn large capital outlays into predictable costs and recover value from retired equipment.
Where Does CoreTrust Fit in Your PC Refresh Strategy?
Direct answer: For CoreTrust members, the CoreTrust contract with Dell provides direct-from-OEM access to Dell's commercial PC portfolio, security and manageability solutions, and lifecycle services — with pre-negotiated pricing that keeps discounts competitive even as market prices move.
Through the Dell contract, CoreTrust members have seen average savings of 13.2% on laptops and 12.8% on desktops⁵, backed by net 45-day payment terms (subject to approval and variability) and free returns within 45 days — reducing both cost and procurement risk during a volatile pricing environment. Rather than negotiating VAR markups on your own or managing multiple reseller relationships, a single CoreTrust-Dell agreement covers end-user computing, infrastructure, and peripherals under one contract.
Our team can help you review your refresh roadmap, compare current-generation configurations, and build a plan that fits your budget and timeline.
Frequently Asked Questions
The Bottom Line
In today's market, a modernization plan is how you control cost and risk. Organizations that plan early will be in the best position to refresh at the right pace without losing control of budgets or the employee experience.
Ready to start planning? Contact your CoreTrust Account Executive to learn more.
Sources:
¹ Gartner, How Enterprise PC Buyers Can Prepare for the AI-Driven Memory Shortage
² IDC, Worldwide Artificial Intelligence PC Forecast, 2024–2028, September 2024
³ IDC, Worldwide Connected Devices 2025 Predictions, October 2024
⁴ Microsoft, Work Trend Index, 2024
⁵ Dell Technologies Inc.