The ongoing AI boom has made things difficult for PC builders, as the prices of RAM, GPUs, and even SSDs have increased significantly over the past few months. What was selling for a few hundred dollars is now well over the $1,000 mark, and even budget SSDs are out of reach for some. And it seems like Costco has decided to take some measures to prevent people from stealing these high-priced components.

RAM removed from Costco displays, others say GPUs are removed too

A user on Reddit shared an image from Costco, claiming that they have removed RAM from display units. And if you’re wondering why, reports suggest people have been stealing RAM kits from multiple stores. Outside of retailers, just two weeks ago, a report claimed that someone in Korea broke into an office, smashed the PC case’s tempered glass, and stole four 32GB Micron memory modules. For reference, a 128GB DDR5 RAM kit is selling for over $1,200 these days.

Costco also faced a similar situation a few days ago. A user in the same thread on Reddit claimed that they were chatting with the guy who runs the PC section at Costco, who mentioned that someone stole RAM from a display model, but they luckily caught them on camera. So, to prevent similar incidents, the store has decided to remove the kits from display. Another user mentioned they have done the same for GPUs as well; graphics cards have long been a highly-priced PC component.

At the moment, the memory situation isn’t expected to improve anytime soon. Experts have already warned that the memory crisis could last until 2031. All of this is happening due to high demand for memory and storage devices from AI data centers, and it has even pushed some companies to exit the consumer market so they can focus on supply for data centers instead. While prices of various components have already increased significantly, more price hikes are expected later this year.

About the Author

Abdul Haddi

Abdul is a tech writer and Editor for PC Guide, specializing in all things tech, gaming, and hardware.