The Vergecast · August 27, 2026 · 31m

How to buy a laptop when everything’s expensive

David Imel and Antonio G. Di Benedetto offer a survival guide for laptop shoppers facing the ongoing RAM shortage, dubbed "RAMageddon." They explain why 16GB of RAM is now the practical minimum and why an affordable model with adequate memory often outshines a premium machine with only 8GB. The episode uses specific examples, including a $520 HP OmniBook and a favorite laptop that jumped $800 in price due to the crisis.

This summary was generated from show notes and public descriptions, not from a full transcript review. Details may contain inaccuracies.

Preview

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RAMageddon: The global memory shortage reshaping laptop shopping00:00:00

The episode frames the ongoing memory shortage as a crisis that has made laptop prices volatile and changed the rules of what makes a good buy.

Claude ChatGPT Gemini

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16GB of RAM is the new floor for a usable laptop00:00:00

An okay laptop with 16GB of RAM will outperform a nicer laptop with 8GB in everyday use, and the show explicitly recommends making that trade-off.

Claude ChatGPT Gemini

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