For those of you who are thinking about buying a laptop or assembling a computer, that question is more important than the stock story. I took it out to see what was going on, and what kind of device should I buy in 2027.

This quarter Intel is not bad, what scares investors is the next quarter

Looking at the third quarter alone, Intel did well. Revenue and profit were both better than expected. The biggest bright spot is the chip segment for servers and AI, which nearly doubled over the same period, the strongest increase in this segment in 15 years. AI companies are buying server CPUs very aggressively.

In contrast, the chip segment for PCs went down slightly. And when Intel released its forecast for the fourth quarter, both revenue and profit were far below expectations. The market reacts to the future, not the past, so Q3's good numbers didn't save the stock.

PCs slow down because of component prices, not because people no longer need them

The problem of weak PCs is not only seen by Intel. According to Counterpoint, global PC sales in the third quarter decreased by about one-fifth over the same period, and the fourth quarter may decline even deeper. Before that, the PC market had increased continuously for more than two years.

The main culprit is that RAM, SSD and processor chips have all increased in price. Memory factories are focusing capacity on AI servers, so the portion for laptops and desktops is squeezed. Laptop manufacturers have three difficult choices: increase prices, bear losses, or cut configurations. In fact, all three are happening. Acer has said that PC prices will increase in the fourth quarter, while Schenker's XMG has increased the prices of a series of gaming laptop models and frankly said that RAM will be lacking until the end of 2027.

Another part of the reason is that last year many people bought devices early before Windows 10 support ended, so this year the need to replace devices is naturally lower.

Intel itself is not optimistic about RAM in 2027

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This is the detail I find most important for buyers. During the report call, Mr. Zinsner said directly that Intel is not optimistic about memory next year, and expects the situation will not improve in 2027, having to wait until 2028 to know.

Also in that call, Intel said its Wildcat Lake low-cost chip line for popular laptops was sold out, demand exceeded supply. This means that companies are rushing to make cheap laptops to keep prices affordable, but these machines usually only come with enough RAM, running Windows will be a bit cramped.

Not everyone is so pessimistic. Some laptop manufacturers believe that component prices will begin to decrease from the second half of 2027 when Chinese memory factories increase production. But no one is sure.

So should I buy a laptop now or wait?

TrendForce predicts that by 2027, the number of laptops sold will continue to decrease, and if RAM and CPU prices remain high, manufacturers will have to push prices up further. Putting the above data together, I think like this:

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If your current device is so slow that it affects your work or study, you should buy it early, don't wait for the price to decrease. According to both Intel and many other companies, at least until the first half of 2027, prices will hardly be cheaper, and may even continue to increase when old inventory is sold out.

If the device is still in good use, keeping it, upgrading the SSD or cleaning the device will also help it last a while. Wait until the end of 2027 to see if the memory cools down and then calculate.

When buying, prioritize a machine with enough RAM for long-term use from the beginning, because upgrading later will be much more expensive. A cheap device that lacks RAM may cause you to have to replace the device sooner than expected.

What model device are you using? Are you planning on buying a new one or trying to keep using it?

Source: Investing.com, CNBC, The Verge, Tom's Hardware, TrendForce