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Computer costs are on the rise as AI data centers hoover up a majority of the hardware , and what's available is quickly being funneled into the AI industry as well. RAM, processors, and storage have all been affected, with PCs today costing a hefty sum if you want something decent either for gaming or just for office work. Looking at PCs today, like the latest AI-driven hardware, Nvidia RTX Spark Laptops start at $2,599.99 and can run up to over $6000 with 128GB of RAM. Prebuilt gaming PCs, at the entry level, are around $1200 or more. Office devices, like mini PCs, which used to be a killer deal, are now seeing prices skyrocket as desirable hardware is harder to come by.

In 1986, the PC price wars were the talk of the town, and IBM even waded in with a price cut that particular year to compete with the "PC clones." It was the start of the PC clone truly exploding. At the time, IBM set the industry standard over the "Personal Computer," as well as hardware and software.…