--- title: A RAMageddon guide to back-to-school laptop shopping description: A buying guide for students facing a laptop market squeezed by ongoing RAM and storage shortages that are driving prices up. Recommendations include the Apple... canonical: https://daily.dev/posts/a-ramageddon-guide-to-back-to-school-laptop-shopping-ebyfwubm0 twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:site: @dailydotdev og:type: website og:site_name: daily.dev og:title: A RAMageddon guide to back-to-school laptop shopping | daily.dev og:description: A buying guide for students facing a laptop market squeezed by ongoing RAM and storage shortages that are driving prices up. Recommendations include the Apple... og:url: https://daily.dev/posts/a-ramageddon-guide-to-back-to-school-laptop-shopping-ebyfwubm0 og:image: https://api.daily.dev/og/posts/EbYfwuBm0.png og:image:alt: A RAMageddon guide to back-to-school laptop shopping og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 630 og:locale: en --- > ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://daily.dev/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # A RAMageddon guide to back-to-school laptop shopping **[The Verge](https://daily.dev/sources/theverge)** · 10 min read · 1 upvotes · 0 comments ## Summary A buying guide for students facing a laptop market squeezed by ongoing RAM and storage shortages that are driving prices up. Recommendations include the Apple MacBook Neo (from $599) as the best cheap option for middle/high schoolers, the MacBook Air ($1,299/$1,199 for students) for college, the Asus Zenbook A14 as a lighter Windows/Snapdragon alternative, the budget Acer Aspire 14 AI, the HP OmniBook 3 for a large cheap screen, refurbished Lenovo ThinkPads for durability, and two Chromebook picks (Asus Chromebook Plus CX34 and Acer Chromebook Plus Spin 514). General advice: aim for 16GB RAM and 512GB storage, avoid Windows chips older than 2022-2023 generations, and consider spending more upfront since prices are expected to keep rising through 2027 due to memory allocation shortages. ## Full article daily.dev links to this article rather than hosting it. Read it at the original source: ## Questions this post answers ### Why are laptop prices going up so much this year? An ongoing RAM and NAND storage shortage is driving up prices across laptops, with some models becoming noticeably more expensive and others only slightly pricier. Memory manufacturing capacity through 2027 is already fully allocated, meaning prices are expected to keep rising well into next year rather than stabilize soon. _daily.dev helps developers and shoppers alike track supply chain stories like the RAM shortage as they unfold._ ### How much RAM and storage should a laptop have for a college student? Aim for at least 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage if possible, especially for college use, since heavier multitasking and larger files make 8GB feel cramped over time. Eight GB is workable on macOS devices like the MacBook Neo, but Windows laptops tend to struggle more noticeably with that limited amount of memory. _Anyone specifying hardware requirements for a project can find real-world memory guidance like this on daily.dev._ ### What is the price difference between the MacBook Neo and the MacBook Air? The MacBook Neo starts at $599 (with student and refurbished pricing also at $599) and comes with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage, aimed at middle and high schoolers. The MacBook Air costs $1,299 for the 13-inch model ($1,199 for students) or $1,499 for 15-inch, with double the RAM (16GB), 512GB of faster storage, and a more powerful processor. _Comparing device tiers like the MacBook Neo versus Air is the kind of decision daily.dev readers research before buying._ ## Similar posts on daily.dev - [These are the laptops I recommend for pretty much anyone](https://daily.dev/posts/these-are-the-laptops-i-recommend-for-pretty-much-anyone-6fqe2ps0d) · The Verge · 0 upvotes · 0 comments - [Windows laptops are having the best year ever, except for one massive catch](https://daily.dev/posts/windows-laptops-are-having-the-best-year-ever-except-for-one-massive-catch-poajhjlxu) · XDA Developers · 0 upvotes · 0 comments - [Apple announces big iPad, MacBook price hikes](https://daily.dev/posts/apple-announces-big-ipad-macbook-price-hikes-01ptd2o0b) · TechCentral · 0 upvotes · 0 comments - [Meet the MacBook Neo, Apple’s colorful answer to the Chromebook, starting at $599](https://daily.dev/posts/meet-the-macbook-neo-apple-s-colorful-answer-to-the-chromebook-starting-at-599-zx5tqvkul) · TechCrunch · 0 upvotes · 0 comments - [Best Laptops for Coding in 2026: Top Picks for Developers, Students, and Software Engineers](https://daily.dev/posts/best-laptops-for-coding-in-2026-top-picks-for-developers-students-and-software-engineers-k83uetlu3) · Medium · 0 upvotes · 0 comments --- Tags: [#tech-news](https://daily.dev/tags/tech-news), [#apple](https://daily.dev/tags/apple) [View this post on daily.dev](https://daily.dev/posts/a-ramageddon-guide-to-back-to-school-laptop-shopping-ebyfwubm0) ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https://daily.dev/#organization","name":"daily.dev","url":"https://daily.dev","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://daily.dev/apple-touch-icon.png","width":180,"height":180},"sameAs":["https://twitter.com/dailydotdev","https://github.com/dailydotdev","https://www.linkedin.com/company/daily-dev-ltd"]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https://daily.dev/#website","url":"https://daily.dev","name":"daily.dev","publisher":{"@id":"https://daily.dev/#organization"},"potentialAction":{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https://daily.dev/search?q={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}}]} {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"TechArticle","headline":"A RAMageddon guide to back-to-school laptop shopping","url":"https://daily.dev/posts/a-ramageddon-guide-to-back-to-school-laptop-shopping-ebyfwubm0","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://daily.dev/posts/a-ramageddon-guide-to-back-to-school-laptop-shopping-ebyfwubm0"},"datePublished":"2026-08-14T18:34:22.020Z","dateModified":"2026-09-14T07:42:50.434Z","description":"A buying guide for students facing a laptop market squeezed by ongoing RAM and storage shortages that are driving prices up. 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