Comment 8: Computers are Expensive. Even More than Usual.

It’s the beginning of a new year and, whether you’re in law school or practice, this is often the time that people consider upgrading or buying new technology. When looking to upgrade or add more you should consider things like your needs, your ecosystem (Win, Mac, etc.), and cost. The latter will be making a bigger impact than usual this year with the cost of RAM and hard/solid state drives increasing over the last year. Price increases are expected to continue during the first quarter of 2026 and potentially through the rest of the year.

RAM and storage are essential to computers. RAM is where your computer does a lot of your work. It gives your computer multitask (run multiple programs), handle large files, and more; however, RAM is considered volatile because data stored there is not permanent. Storage in computers come in two flavors hard drive (HDD) and solid-state drive (SSD), each with their own pros and cons. Storage is where you save items for the long-term. For example, while in a meeting you open Notepad to write down some important information. That information is stored in RAM at this time. The meeting went long, though, and you hadn’t noticed that your laptop battery was so low. Your laptop shuts down. At that moment you just lost everything in Notepad because RAM only holds data when it has power. Had you clicked save in Notepad your notes would have moved from RAM to storage, meaning you don’t need constant power. Turn off your laptop for a week and your data is still there.

The increase in prices is rough, with averages increasing by up to 300% for RAM alone. There is a lot of finger pointing when it comes to causes, but the most likely culprits are a combination of tariffs, limited production, and increased demand by data centers. While computer companies ate much of these costs last year, that appears to be ending.

So what does that mean for students and those in the field?

• Allocate more money for your technology purchases. Maybe you’ll get lucky and find a good deal, but it’s better to have the money if you’ll need it.
• Buy the bare minimum. I would not recommend having a computer with less than 16GB of RAM, but it’s possible to buy one with less. You could also purchase a system with less storage, say 250GB, and try relying on cloud storage to make up the difference.
• Upgrade rather than replace. Even though RAM and storage are expensive, upgrading your existing computer is still going to be less expensive than buying a new computer. For example, doubling your RAM (i.e. going from 8GB to 16GB) and going from an HDD to an SSD can make your old computer feel like it just came out of the box.
• Wait it out. There are reasons not to choose this option, for example, if your computer cannot be upgraded to Windows 11; your computer is beginning to fail (short battery life, random shutdowns); and broken components. If that doesn’t describe you then waiting may be the right choice.

No matter which path you decide on you should discuss your options with an IT professional so that you can make the best choice for yourself and your needs, that will be compatible with or school/work and meet any compliance requirements you may have.

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The ABA Rules of Professional Conduct, Model Rule 1.1 Comment 8 requires, “To maintain the requisite knowledge and skill, a lawyer shall keep abreast of changes in the law and its practice, including the benefits and risks associated with relevant technology.” To that end, we have developed this regular series to develop the competence and skills necessary to responsibly choose and use the best technologies for your educational and professional lives. If you have any questions, concerns, or topics you would like to see discussed, please reach out to e.koltonski@csuohio.edu  with “Comment 8” in the subject.