Technology: The Silicon Lease: Hardware-as-a-Service (HaaS)

Why It’s Trending: The "Ownership Pivot" Amidst Global Component Chaos

Hardware-as-a-Service is trending because the 2026 "RAM Crisis" has made traditional PC ownership a financial liability. For the modern gamer, buying a laptop outright now feels like catching a falling knife; with hardware aging faster due to AI workloads and prices fluctuating wildly, the "Omen Subscription" acts as a "Volatility Hedge." Consumers are trending toward this model not because they love subscriptions, but because they are terrified of "Depreciation Anxiety." By renting, they outsource the risk of technical obsolescence and hardware failure back to the manufacturer, transforming a high-risk purchase into a predictable, monthly performance-fee.

• Finding: IDC reports that PC prices are jumping 8% in 2026 due to memory shortages, making HP’s $50–$130/month subscription an attractive "low-friction" entry point for those without $2,000 in liquid cash.

• Market context: We are in the "Era of Permanent Beta"; with GPU and CPU cycles accelerating to 12-month refreshes, the traditional 3-year ownership cycle is now seen as a "Performance Bottleneck."

• What it brings new to the market: The concept of "Zero-Downtime Gaming"—HP’s 24/7 live support and "Next-Business-Day" replacement guarantee treat the gamer like a high-priority enterprise client rather than a casual consumer.

• What behavior is validated: "Upgrade Obsession"; the model validates the desire to always have the latest RTX 50-series or Ryzen AI chips without the "Resale Hassle" of the second-hand market.

• Can it create habit and how: Yes, through "Ecosystem Entrapment"; once a user settles into a $130/month rhythm with inclusive support and accessories, the "Exit Penalty" (up to $1,430) and the lack of a buyout option make returning to ownership feel like a step backward.

• Implications for market and consumers: A shift from "Buying a Product" to "Buying a Service Level Agreement (SLA)"; if successful, this could force the entire industry (Dell, Lenovo, Asus) to move toward "Subscription-Only" flagship tiers.

Main finding The trend is a move from "Hardware Equity" to "Performance Continuity," where the consumer no longer wants to own the machine—they just want to own the experience of the highest possible frame rate.

Insights: Ownership is being redefined as a "Maintenance Liability" that the 2026 consumer is eager to outsource.

Industry Insight: Software is no longer the only "Service"; in 2026, the real margin is in "Hardware-as-a-Utility," where recurring rental fees far exceed the retail price over 24 months, turning a one-time sale into a lifetime "Performance Rent."Consumer Insight: The gamer is "Hedging against the Future"; they would rather pay a $130 "Subscription Tax" than own a $2,500 machine that might be rendered obsolete by the next AI-driven RAM standard within 18 months.Brand / Cultural Insight: "Access" is the new "Asset"; for the Gen Z dater and gamer alike, status is no longer about what is in your bank account, but what is on your desk right now, making "Annual Upgradability" the ultimate flex of the digital age.

The emergence of the "Silicon Lease" marks the end of the "PC Builder" era and the birth of the "Hardware Subscriber." As component prices continue to swing, the comfort of a fixed monthly fee—even at a premium—proves that for the 2026 consumer, peace of mind is the most valuable spec on the sheet.

Detailed Findings: The "RAMaggedon" Math and the Non-Equity Trap

The transition to HP’s subscription model in early 2026 is fueled by a perfect storm of "Industrial Scarcity" and "Subscription Creep." With AI giants like OpenAI and Nvidia siphoning 70% of the world’s DRAM and HBM supply, the cost of 32GB RAM kits has tripled, pushing retail laptop prices into the "Luxury Tier" (over $2,100 for a mid-spec Omen). HP’s data reveals a calculated bet: they aren't selling hardware; they are selling a "Performance Shield." However, the fine print exposes a high-friction reality where users pay for the "privilege" of depreciation—after 16 months of a $130 subscription, a user has paid for the device's total retail value but holds zero equity.

• Finding: The "RAM Crisis" of 2026 has made high-spec machines (32GB+) unaffordable for 40% of gamers; HP’s $50-$130/month tier lowers the entry barrier while charging a "Convenience Premium" of nearly 40% over two years.

• Market context: We are seeing "Hardware Hostaging"; by including 24/7 live support and next-business-day replacements, HP is positioning the laptop as a critical utility rather than a personal possession.

• What it brings new to the market: The "Exit Penalty Barrier"—canceling the Omen Max 16 in month two triggers a $1,429.89 fee, effectively forcing a 12-month commitment despite the "flexible" marketing.

• What behavior is validated: "The Upgrade Addiction"; the model encourages users to "trade up" annually, validating a culture of hyper-consumption where the "Resale Market" is bypassed entirely.

• Can it create habit and how: Yes, via the "Service Level Habit"; once a gamer is used to 24-hour hardware replacement, the idea of owning a laptop with a standard 1-year warranty and high repair costs feels like a step into the "Danger Zone."

• Implications for market and consumers: The death of the "Budget Build." As 8GB RAM configurations become the new "Standard" due to price hikes, the subscription becomes the only way for average users to access 32GB or 64GB of memory.

Signals: Named Macro Signals The "Silicon Lease" is the flagship of the "Non-Equity Economy," where ownership is traded for guaranteed uptime in an unstable supply chain.

• Technological signal: "NPU Obsolescence"; with AI performance (TOPS) doubling every 12 months, consumers are terrified of owning a "legacy" machine that can't run the latest local LLMs.

• Economic signal: "Component Volatility"; 66% of UK adults expect tech prices to rise further, making a fixed $130 monthly fee feel like a "Financial Safety Net" against future inflation.

• Supply chain signal: "DRAM Starvation"; the prioritization of memory for data centers over consumer PCs is forcing brands to find new ways to extract value from limited hardware units.

• Psychological signal: "The Support Security Blanket"; the rise of the "Expert-on-Demand" model appeals to a demographic that lacks the time or skill to troubleshoot increasingly complex AI-powered systems.

• Platform signal: "Ecosystem Locking"; renting mice ($4.99), headsets ($7.99), and monitors ($5.99) alongside the laptop creates a "Total Desk Subscription" that is psychologically harder to cancel than a single device.

Main finding In 2026, "Hardware-as-a-Service" is the manufacturer's response to a broken supply chain—extracting maximum rent from users who can no longer afford to buy the future.

Insights: Ownership is transitioning from an "Asset" to a "Maintenance Risk" that users are being conditioned to avoid.

Industry Insight: Efficiency is the new "Empathy"; by offering "No-Downtime" guarantees, HP is capitalizing on the consumer’s fear of being "unplugged" from their digital life, turning technical support into a high-margin recurring revenue stream.Consumer Insight: The "Performance Renter" is trading long-term wealth for immediate "Status Uptime"; they would rather pay $1,500 a year to look at a 50-series GPU than own a 40-series machine that they "can’t give away" in a year.Brand / Cultural Insight: "Access" is the new "Success"; in the "Silicon Lease" era, the ultimate flex isn't that you bought the most expensive laptop, but that you have a contract that ensures you will always have the newest one.

The "Hardware-as-a-Service" model proves that in 2026, we are no longer consumers—we are "Users-on-Lease." As we move into the next part of the cycle, the question is no longer "What do you own?" but "What is your monthly subscription for reality?"

Consumer Profile: The "Performance Migrant" and the FOMO Financier

The "Silicon Lease" consumer is not a single demographic but a collection of "Access-First" personas born from the 2026 economic volatility. Primarily led by "The Upgrade Elite" (high-frequency gamers) and "The RAM-Starved Professional" (creative freelancers), this audience is defined by their "Obsolescence Anxiety." They have internalized the idea that hardware is a "depreciating liability" rather than a "durable asset." These consumers are less concerned with "pride of ownership" and more focused on "Uptime Sovereignty"—the guarantee that their digital life will never be interrupted by a hardware failure or a sub-par frame rate.

• Primary Archetype: The Upgrade Elite: This is the "Zero-Downtime Gamer" who views a 12-month-old GPU as ancient history. They are willing to pay the $130/month "Status Tax" specifically for the "Next-Gen Guarantee," ensuring they are always at the top of the leaderboards without the friction of reselling old gear.

• Secondary Archetype: The RAM-Starved Professional: Freelancers and video editors who have been "priced out" of the $3,000+ workstation market by the 2026 memory crisis. For them, the subscription is a "Tax-Deductible Tool" that transforms a massive capital expenditure into a predictable, monthly operating cost.

• Psychographic Driver: Depreciation Hedging: Motivated by the 90% spike in RAM prices, these consumers treat the lease as a "Financial Insurance Policy." They are terrified of buying a $2,500 laptop today that might lose 60% of its value in six months if component prices stabilize or new AI chips render it obsolete.

• Occasion-Based Behavior: The "Temporary Powerhouse": This consumer rents for specific "High-Intensity Cycles"—such as the launch of a major AAA title like GTA VI or a six-month intensive creative project—planning to return the device once the peak performance need subsides.

• Economic Sentiment: Cash-Flow Minimalism: Many younger subscribers (Gen Z/Alpha) lack the "lump sum" savings but have high monthly disposable income. They view the $50-$130 fee as just another "Utility Subscription," equivalent to a premium gym membership or a tiered car lease.

• Social Status: The "Always-Current" Flex: Status in this circle is measured by the "Recency of the Rig." Carrying the latest Omen Max 16 with a 50-series GPU (which they "swapped" last week) carries more cultural capital than owning a paid-off, two-year-old flagship.

Main finding The "Performance Migrant" is trading the "Wealth of Ownership" for the "Security of Access," opting to rent their reality to avoid the financial sting of technical decay.

Insights: Consumers are no longer buying "Tools"; they are subscribing to "Benchmarks" and "Safety Nets."

Industry Insight: Support is the new "Stickiness"; by bundling 24/7 human experts and next-day replacements, HP is moving the competition from "Specs" to "Service Level Agreements," making it impossible for "Hardware-Only" brands to compete for the professional dater or gamer.Consumer Insight: The "RAM-Starved" consumer values "Predictability" over "Equity"; in 2026, the psychological relief of a $130 fixed cost beats the stress of a $3,000 debt, even if they end up owning nothing.Brand / Cultural Insight: "Equity" is being replaced by "Uptime"; the 2026 consumer views the machine as a "Disposable Vessel" for their digital identity, proving that the future of tech isn't about what you have, but how fast you can replace it.

The rise of the "Performance Migrant" confirms that we have entered the age of "Transient Tech." For this consumer, the ultimate luxury isn't the laptop itself—it’s the "Refresh" button on the lease agreement.

Motivations: The "Depreciation Defense" and the Psychological Safety Net

In 2026, the primary driver for subscribing to hardware isn't a lack of funds, but a deep-seated "Ownership Anxiety." Consumers are motivated by a "Depreciation Defense"—the psychological need to offload the risk of technical decay onto the manufacturer. With the 2026 RAM Crisis and the hyper-acceleration of AI-capable chips, the fear of buying a "brick" (a machine that becomes obsolete in 12 months) has surpassed the desire for equity. The motivation lies in the "Seamless Swap"; the peace of mind that comes from knowing a hardware failure isn't a $2,000 disaster, but merely a 24-hour wait for a replacement.

• Core consumer drive: The search for "Obsolescence Insurance." Modern tech moves so fast that consumers are motivated to treat their laptop like a software license. They want to "outsource the headache" of repairs, battery degradation, and resale value, ensuring their monthly fee buys them "Guaranteed Performance" rather than just plastic and silicon.

• Cognitive relief: "The Exit from the Research Loop." Buying a PC in 2026 is a mental burden of comparing NPU tops, VRAM speeds, and cooling cycles. Consumers are motivated to escape this "Decision Fatigue" by trusting the "Tiered Curation" of a subscription, where the "Best" is simply delivered to their door once a year.

• Social depth: "The Flex of the Infinite Refresh." Choosing to rent is a quiet signal of high-frequency lifestyle. It motivates the consumer to feel intellectually superior to those "stuck" with aging hardware, aligning their identity with a "High-Flow" existence where they are always at the cutting edge of the spec sheet.

• Status through restraint: "Liquid Asset Mastery." There is a growing status in keeping one's capital "liquid." Consumers are motivated by the logic of "Minimalist Overhead," proving they can access $3,000 of power for $130 a month while keeping their actual savings in high-yield assets or crypto.

• Emotional safety: "The No-Friction Fortress." Much like a "Safe House" for data, the subscription provides an emotional buffer against the volatility of the global supply chain. Consumers are motivated by the "Replacement Ritual," knowing that if a "Black Widow" virus or a physical spill occurs, their downtime is capped at a single business day.

• Identity Ownership: "The Pro-Level Proxy." For the 2026 Auditor, the motivation is to be treated like a "Pro." They are motivated to adopt the "Enterprise Persona," where they receive 24/7 "White-Glove" support usually reserved for corporate CEOs, elevating their self-worth through the service level they receive.

Main finding The motivation has shifted from "The Pride of the Purchase" to "The Security of the Service," with the subscription acting as a tactical hedge against a volatile and expensive future.

Insights: Motivation is no longer about "having" the tool, but about "being" the user who never experiences a glitch.

Industry Insight: Motivation is the new "Subscription Retention"; the brands that win in 2026 are those that market the "Zero-Downtime Lifestyle," selling the laptop not as a box of parts, but as a "Service Level Guarantee" for an over-caffeinated and over-scheduled population.Audience Insight: Vulnerability is the "Unspoken Driver"; for the 2026 Performance Migrant, the fear of being "left behind" by the next AI chip is so great that they are willing to pay a "Rent for Life" just to stay in the loop, making "Access" the ultimate psychological anchor.Brand / Cultural Insight: "Equity" is a "Safety Trap"; in the 2026 context, owning hardware is seen as being "anchored to the past," while subscribing is seen as "floating into the future," turning the absence of ownership into the most modern luxury of all.

The "Silicon Lease" shift proves that we are moving toward a future where we "wear" our technology like a seasonal garment rather than building it like a home. As the consumer motivation moves from the tangible to the temporal, the brands that can deliver "The Peace of the Permanent Upgrade" will own the desk space of the decade.

Trends 2026: The "Hardware Hostage" Economy — Renting the Future to Survive the Present

The 2026 technology landscape has been fundamentally reshaped by "Component Despair." As AI data centers consume up to 70% of the world's memory chips, the resulting "RAMaggedon" has pushed retail prices for high-end gaming laptops toward $3,000+. HP’s "Silicon Lease" (Omen Subscription) is the flagship of a broader shift where "Equity" is being discarded in favor of "Guaranteed Uptime." In this new era, the consumer doesn't buy a product; they buy a "Service Level Agreement (SLA)" for their digital lifestyle, treating hardware as a disposable utility that must be refreshed annually to keep pace with hyper-accelerated AI requirements.

Main Trend: Ownership → Access-on-Demand (HaaS)

The transition of personal computing from a one-time capital expense to a monthly "operating fee," driven by supply chain volatility and the rapid obsolescence of AI-native hardware.

• Trend definition: The emergence of "Hardware-as-a-Service" models that bundle high-spec PCs with 24/7 support and annual trade-up paths for a monthly subscription fee.

• Core elements: Fixed monthly "Performance Rent" ($50-$130), Next-Business-Day replacement guarantees, and the elimination of "Buyout" options.

• Primary industries impacted: Consumer Electronics, Cloud Computing, Financial Services (Subscription Management), and E-waste Recycling.

• Strategic implications: Brands must pivot from "Unit Sales" to "Subscriber Lifetime Value (LTV)," focusing on "Total Desk Solutions" (bundling peripherals) to increase ecosystem stickiness.

• Future projections: By 2027, "Hardware Equitization" will be a niche for enthusiasts; 60% of high-end PC gamers will lease their rigs to avoid the 90% surge in memory and GPU costs.

• Social trend implication: The "Subscription Ceiling"; households are beginning to "audit" their monthly tech rent, leading to a "K-shaped" digital divide where only the "Lease Elite" can access cutting-edge AI power.

• Related Consumer Trends: Upgrade-Only Lifestyle: A rejection of the "Second-Hand Market" in favor of factory-direct trade-ups; Repair-Apathy: Moving away from the "Right to Repair" because the subscriber simply expects a new unit.

• Related Industry Trends: Supply-Chain Hedging: Manufacturers using subscriptions to control their own "Device Circularity" and reclaim valuable rare-earth metals from returned units; Ecosystem Bundling: Apps renting monitors and mice alongside PCs to lock users into a "Full-Station Lease."

• Related Social Trends: The "User" vs. "Owner" Class: A growing cultural divide between those who own "legacy" gear and those who pay for "perpetual currency" in their hardware specs.

The 2026 market proves that "Hardware Integrity" is now a service, not a possession. As the "Silicon Lease" takes hold, the secret to market dominance lies in the one thing money can't buy at retail: the guarantee that you’ll never be obsolete.

Summary of Trends Table

Main Trend	Main Consumer Behavior	Main Strategy	Main Industry Trend	Main Consumer Motivation
The Silicon Lease	"Upgrade-Only" Habits: Trading units every 12 months rather than repairing or reselling.	Service Level Logic: Bundling 24/7 support and "Next-Day Replacement" as the primary value.	Component-Driven HaaS: Moving to rental models to manage 110% RAM price spikes.	Depreciation Defense: Outsourcing the risk of technical decay back to the brand.

Insights: Ownership is being rebranded as a "Financial Risk" that only the uninformed take.

Industry Insight: Support is the new "Subscription Retention"; by offering 24/7 "White-Glove" assistance, HP turns a hardware box into a "Security Blanket," making it psychologically impossible for a user to return to a "DIY" ownership model.Consumer Insight: "Equity" is a "Weight"; the 2026 Performance Migrant realizes that owning a $3,000 laptop is a losing game of depreciation, whereas a $130 lease is a "Performance Shield" against a volatile future.Brand / Cultural Insight: "Access" is the ultimate status symbol; in a world of $1,000 RAM kits, being able to say "I just swap my rig every year" is the highest signal of both financial liquidty and technological literacy.

The move to "The Hardware Hostage Economy" marks the final death of the "one-and-done" purchase. As we lease our way into the AI era, the laptop on your desk is no longer yours—it’s just a temporary window into a high-performance future you'll never truly own.

Innovation Areas: Predictive Maintenance and "Circular Performance" Engineering

As we move into mid-2026, the innovation in the "Silicon Lease" space has shifted from mere financing to "Operational Intelligence." Manufacturers are no longer just shipping boxes; they are deploying "Self-Healing Hardware" that uses on-device AI to predict component failure before it happens. With the 2026 RAM Crisis making every stick of DDR5 a precious asset, innovation is focused on "Device Circularity"—designing laptops not for a single owner, but for a 5-year multi-user lifecycle where parts are harvested, refurbished, and re-leased in a continuous loop.

• "Self-Cleaning" and Anti-Wear Tech: HP’s OMEN Tempest Cooling PRO is the new benchmark, featuring self-cleaning fan technology and OMEN Cryo Compound (a hybrid liquid metal). These innovations are designed specifically for the lease model to reduce "Performance Falloff" and extend the usable life of the chassis across multiple subscribers.

• AI-Driven Predictive Diagnostics: Innovation in "RemotePRO Air" logic. Using agentic AI, leased laptops now monitor their own thermal and acoustic signatures in real-time. If the system detects a micro-deviation in fan bearing vibration or a voltage spike in the NPU, it automatically triggers a "Next-Business-Day" replacement ticket before the user even experiences a crash.

• Modular "Space Frame" Architectures: Lenovo and HP are innovating with "Space Frame" builds and modular internal layouts. By placing components on both sides of the mainboard and making USB ports, batteries, and keyboards easily swappable, brands can "Refurbish on the Fly," allowing a returned laptop to be refreshed for a new subscriber in under 30 minutes.

• NPU-Locked Performance Tiers: Innovation in "Silicon Tiering." To manage high component costs, brands are introducing laptops where the hardware is identical, but the "AI Compute (TOPS)" is unlocked via the subscription level. A "Pro" subscriber might access 50 TOPS for local LLMs, while a "Basic" renter is software-capped at 13 TOPS, allowing brands to monetize the same silicon at different price points.

• Tandem OLED and "Eye-Care" Longevity: With the rise of the "24/7 User," innovation has pivoted to Tandem OLED panels. These dual-layer displays offer a 100% boost in brightness while simultaneously doubling the panel's lifespan, ensuring that a leased unit remains "vibrant" through three or four different 12-month lease cycles.

• Hardware-as-a-Gateway (HaaG): Innovation in "Peripheral Ecosystems." HP is moving toward an "Everything-under-HyperX" model. Innovation here isn't just the laptop; it’s the "Integrated Setup" where the lease includes a 4kHz wireless mouse, a planar magnetic headset, and a 240Hz monitor—all managed through a single "Universal Subscription Hub."

Main finding Innovation is moving away from "Making it Faster" and toward "Making it Durable for the Loop," turning the laptop into a modular asset that can be endlessly harvested and re-rented.

Insights: Tech brands are innovating to become "Asset Managers," where the quality of the refurbishment is as important as the original build.

Industry Insight: Circularity is the new "Margin"; by reclaiming devices every 12 months, brands can harvest and "up-cycle" rare-earth magnets and high-cost RAM, bypassing the 2026 supply-chain bottlenecks and creating a "Closed-Loop" profit machine.Consumer Insight: The user wants "Perpetual Freshness"; innovation in self-cleaning fans and tandem OLEDs caters to the consumer's desire for a device that feels "Brand New" on Day 365, reinforcing the habit of never looking at the second-hand market.Brand / Cultural Insight: "Reliability" is the new "Luxury"; as AI-driven workflows become critical to a user’s income, the most innovative feature a brand can offer is "Zero-Downtime Guarantee"—turning a hardware lease into a "Life Support System" for the digital professional.

The innovation wave of 2026 proves that the goal is no longer to sell a product that lasts, but to engineer a service that never dies. As the "Silicon Lease" matures, the "Areas of Innovation" will be defined by how well a brand can hide the complexity of the machine behind the simplicity of the "Monthly Active User" experience.

Final Insight: The Death of the "Digital Inheritance" and the Rise of the Ephemeral Asset

The transition to Hardware-as-a-Service (HaaS) in 2026 is the final nail in the coffin for the concept of the "Durable Device." By institutionalizing the rental of high-spec gaming laptops, the industry has successfully rebranded "Financial Liability" as "Service Convenience." This marks a permanent shift in consumer wealth: we are moving from an era where technology was a "capital asset" that could be resold, repaired, or handed down, to a "Post-Equity" world where digital power is a temporary, high-cost utility. While this ensures "Zero-Downtime" for the elite, it effectively evaporates the secondary market and creates a new "Digital Underclass" that is permanently locked out of high-performance computing.

• Consequence of "Component Despair": The "RAMaggedon" of 2026 has forced a choice between "Obsolete Ownership" and "Current Leasing." As memory prices stay 90% above 2024 levels, the "Subscription Ceiling" now dictates who can participate in the AI revolution and who is left with "legacy" 8GB machines.

• Consequence of the "Repair Gap": Despite the EU Right to Repair Directive (July 2026), the lease model bypasses consumer repair rights entirely. Since the subscriber doesn't own the device, they have no legal standing to "tweak" or "fix" it, effectively handing total control of the hardware lifecycle back to the manufacturer.

• Consequence of the "Circular Trap": We are seeing the rise of "Managed E-Waste." While HP can claim "sustainability" by reclaiming and recycling leased units, the consequence is the destruction of the secondary market. There are no "used" bargains for students or low-income gamers if every unit is returned to the factory for parts-harvesting.

• Consequence of the "Equity Evaporation": Over a 5-year period, a "Performance Migrant" will spend upwards of $7,500 on laptop leases with $0 in trade-in value. This represents a massive transfer of wealth from the consumer’s "Hardware Equity" to the manufacturer's "Recurring Revenue," fundamentally altering the household balance sheet of the 2020s.

Insights: Trust is no longer about the "Product"; it is about the "SLA" (Service Level Agreement) that protects you from the future.

Industry Insight: Control is the new "Profit Margin"; by shifting to HaaS, brands eliminate the "Second-Hand" competition and ensure 100% of the device's value—from its first boot to its final recycling—stays within the corporate ecosystem.Consumer Insight: The subscriber is trading "Wealth for Winnings"; the 2026 gamer realizes that in a hyper-competitive AI landscape, the $130 monthly "Access Fee" is a necessary tax to remain "relevant" in a world where hardware ages like milk.Brand / Cultural Insight: "Equity" is the new "Luddism"; in the Silicon Lease era, the act of owning a computer is increasingly viewed as a sign of being "stuck in the past," while the lease is the ultimate hallmark of a "Liquid, High-Velocity" life.

The "Silicon Lease" proves that in the AI era, the most valuable thing you can own is actually nothing at all. As we trade our "Digital Inheritance" for "Perpetual Performance," the industry has finally solved the problem of the "Durable Good": they simply made it impossible to keep.

Source: https://www.techradar.com/computing/gaming-laptops/scared-of-pc-price-hikes-hps-latest-brainwave-is-renting-you-a-gaming-laptop-rather-than-selling-it-but-the-pricing-looks-as-painful-as-the-ram-crisis