The original version of NS for PC (3.1) required 16MB RAM and recommended 24 (32 in 3.2). The software itself cost $800. In 1993-94 there was a massive RAM shortage caused by a factory fire in Taiwan. RAM spiked to over $50/meg. The additional RAM to run NS alone would have been worth on the order of $1000 even in 1995 by which time prices had gone down.

All told, a NS system would cost around 3x the cost of a Windows system.