Hardware news: The end of Crucial

🖥️ Hardware News: The End of Crucial?

Thursday, December 18, 2025 | Updated 2:30 PM ET

Today is a bittersweet day for PC builders. While we have exciting leaks about high-end Intel GPUs, we also received shocking news about one of the most reliable memory brands in history.

🛑 Micron Discontinues "Crucial" Brand

It is the end of an era. Micron has officially announced they are phasing out the Crucial consumer brand by February 2026.

• The Reason: The company is pivoting entirely to Enterprise AI memory and HBM production, which has higher profit margins.
• Impact: Crucial Ballistix RAM and MX/P-series SSDs will disappear from shelves over the next few months.
• Advice: If you need reliable DDR5 or SATA SSDs, buy them now before prices spike due to scarcity.

🔵 Intel "Big Battlemage" Leak

On a brighter note, Intel accidentally confirmed a new high-end GPU. A now-deleted tweet from Intel Gaming mentioned the Arc B770, powered by the massive "BMG-G31" chip.

Specs Leak: 32 Xe2 Cores, 16GB GDDR6, and a 256-bit bus. It targets the 1440p market and is rumored to debut at CES 2026 next month.

💾 Gen 5 SSDs Get Cheaper

KIOXIA has announced the Exceria G3 series, a new line of "budget" PCIe 5.0 SSDs launching this week. By using QLC NAND, they are bringing 10,000 MB/s speeds to a much lower price point ($120 for 2TB).

💬 Discussion

Did you own a Crucial SSD or RAM stick in your first build? Pay your respects in the comments.