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# Intel: Budget Laptop Chips Sold Out, RAM Pain in 2027
- URL: https://blog.harshkohli.com/intel-wildcat-lake-sold-out-memory-shortage/
- Published: 2026-10-30T05:05:08.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-30T05:05:08.000Z
- Description: Intel says its Wildcat Lake laptop chips are sold out and the memory shortage will not ease in 2027. What it means for laptop buyers.
- Author: Harsh Kohli
- Tags: Tech News, PC & Hardware

If you've been shopping for a cheap Windows laptop lately, Intel's latest earnings call explains a lot. The company says its budget Wildcat Lake chips are sold out, and it doesn't expect the memory shortage pushing PC prices up to ease at all next year. Put the two together and 2027 looks like a rough year to buy a budget laptop.

## What happened

Intel reported [third-quarter 2026 results](https://www.intc.com/news-events/press-releases/detail/1786/intel-reports-third-quarter-2026-financial-results?ref=blog.harshkohli.com) on October 29: revenue of $16.5 billion, up 21% from a year ago, driven mostly by data center sales. Its PC chip group brought in $8.1 billion, down 5%. CFO David Zinsner said in the release that he expects the PC slowdown to continue "at least through the first half of next year."

The call had the more interesting bits. CEO Lip-Bu Tan said demand for Wildcat Lake, the chips Intel sells as Core Series 3 for entry-level laptops, "is outstripping supply," and Zinsner said they're now sold out, per [The Verge](https://www.theverge.com/tech/1022911/intel-wildcat-lake-sold-out-ram-shortage?ref=blog.harshkohli.com), which [flagged it on X](https://x.com/verge/status/2115953463528218804?ref=blog.harshkohli.com). On memory, Zinsner didn't sugarcoat it: Intel is "not optimistic about next year in terms of memory" and doesn't expect things to improve in 2027.

[Tom's Hardware](https://www.tomshardware.com/pc-components/cpus/intel-confirms-nova-lake-will-use-advanced-18a-p-node-more-details-at-ces-company-says-its-taking-panther-lake-capacity-offline-to-build-more-granite-rapids-data-center-cpus?ref=blog.harshkohli.com) picked up a few more numbers from the call:

- Intel expects 2026 PC shipments to fall about 12%, with the second half down more than 20%, and plans for another drop of roughly 10% in 2027.
- It's moving some 18A wafers that would have gone to Panther Lake laptop chips over to Granite Rapids data center CPUs.
- Nova Lake, its next desktop chip, will be its first client product on the newer 18A-P process, with more details at CES in January.

## Why it matters

This is the AI boom spilling over into everyday PCs. Memory makers are pouring capacity into AI servers, so the RAM that goes into normal laptops is scarce and expensive. Laptop brands respond by cutting specs or raising prices, and Wildcat Lake is popular precisely because it helps them hit lower price points. The Verge points out that many of these budget machines ship with only 8GB of RAM, which is tight for Windows these days.

Intel shifting factory time from laptop chips to server chips also tells you where the money is. Data center revenue is growing fast, PCs aren't, and Intel is following the demand.

## What to do

- **Need a laptop soon?** Don't hold out for prices to drop. Intel's own outlook suggests they won't in 2027.
- **Prioritise RAM.** Go for 16GB if you can. Since most thin laptops have soldered memory, you can't add more later.
- **Know what you're buying.** Wildcat Lake laptops are fine for browsing, office work and streaming, just not for heavy gaming or video editing.

Stuck with 8GB? You can still run small AI models on it. I tested which ones work in my list of the [best Ollama models for 8GB of RAM](https://blog.harshkohli.com/best-ollama-models-8gb-ram/).