Picture this: a YouTuber converts a garden shed into a makeshift cleanroom, fabricating actual RAM cells from silicon wafers. Desperation? Or the future of computing? The global memory shortage has pushed enthusiasts to extremes, while AI data centers devour supply, leaving consumers and PC builders scrambling. Prices for DDR5 kits have surged over 300% in months, turning routine upgrades into luxury purchases. April brought no mercy. Apple’s base M4 Mac mini with 16GB RAM vanished from online stocks, alongside certain Mac Studio models. Framework’s new Laptop 13 Pro, hailed as a modular marvel for Linux fans, carries sticker shock in some markets thanks to memory costs. Rumors swirl around Microsoft’s next Surface devices: prices so steep they might price out buyers altogether. And that’s before SSD hikes of at least 10%, compounding the pain. But. A glimmer flickers. DDR5 prices dipped 10-20% recently. DDR4, after ballooning 2,200% at peaks, softened too. Don’t celebrate yet.…