We're officially in dire straits. There's almost no way, if you're reading this site, that you aren't aware that memory prices have become entirely divorced from reality. Some are calling it the RAMpocalypse; I prefer "RAMageddon." Whatever you want to call it, though, the reality for PC builders right now is just grim. To put this in perspective, just take a look at our RAM price tracking post:
Memory Kit |
Best U.S. Price |
Lowest-Ever U.S. Price |
DDR5-5200 16GB |
$52 |
|
DDR5-5600 16GB |
$199 |
|
DDR5-5600 32GB |
$72 |
|
DDR5-6000 16GB |
$197 |
|
DDR5-6000 32GB |
$72 |
|
DDR5-6000 48GB |
$144 |
|
DDR5-6000 64GB |
$159 |
|
DDR5-6000 96GB |
$189 |
|
DDR5-6400 128GB |
$329 |
|
DDR5-6600 32GB |
$158 |
That's right: 128GB DDR5 kits are fully ten times more expensive than the lowest price we've ever seen. Things improve as you step down the memory capacities and speed tiers, but not as much as we'd like. You're still looking at $392 for a memory kit that was just $72 last year.
To reinforce the point, I pulled the latest average price data from PCPartPicker, comparing where we are today (August 2026) to exactly one year ago. This data is somewhat approximate, but it should be broadly accurate.
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Memory Kit Speed & Size |
August 2025 Average Price |
August 2026 Average Price |
Change (YoY) |
|---|---|---|---|
4800 MT/s 2×16GB |
$90 |
$425 |
+$335 |
5200 MT/s 2×16GB |
$100 |
$480 |
+$380 |
5600 MT/s 2×16GB |
$116 |
$528 |
+$412 |
6000 MT/s 2×16GB |
$108 |
$572 |
+$463 |
5600 MT/s 2×32GB |
$191 |
$1118 |
+$927 |
6000 MT/s 2×32GB |
$222 |
$1272 |
+$1050 |
The numbers speak for themselves; in just 12 months, the cost of DDR5 memory has essentially exploded. We are looking at year-over-year increases nearing 500% for high-capacity kits. A standard 64GB (2x32GB) DDR5-5600 kit that would have cost you under $200 last summer is now demanding over $1,100. It is a 5x multiplier on a component that used to be a fairly boring and predictable line item in a PC build budget.
Memory Kit Speed & Size |
August 2025 Average Price |
August 2026 Average Price |
Change (YoY) |
|---|---|---|---|
3200 MT/s 2×8GB |
$63 |
$163 |
+$100 |
3600 MT/s 2×8GB |
$75 |
$165 |
+$90 |
3200 MT/s 2×16GB |
$105 |
$281 |
+$176 |
3600 MT/s 2×16GB |
$120 |
$307 |
+$187 |
3200 MT/s 2×32GB |
$222 |
$614 |
+$392 |
3600 MT/s 2×32GB |
$300 |
$789 |
+$489 |
If you plan to just wait it out on an older AM4 or LGA1700 motherboard with DDR4, you'd better hope your memory holds out too, because DDR4 isn't safe from the fallout. With DDR5 entirely out of reach for most builders, the resulting scramble for older platforms running DDR4 memory has created a massive knock-on effect, and as a result, DDR4 kits are up anywhere from 120% to nearly 180% across the board. Nowhere near as bad as DDR5 pricing, but it still stings when a kit that was $105 last year is $281 this year.
This phenomenon is by no means exclusive to the US, either. German tech site ComputerBase have also been tracking this global trend, reporting just this week that average RAM prices in Europe have skyrocketed by 345% compared to September 2025. Their data shows the squeeze is bleeding into other components too, with hard drive and SSD prices both climbing over 125% in that same timeframe.
In fact, the situation is so severe that hyperscale buyers have reportedly already locked in almost all of the global DRAM production capacity for 2027, handing over advance deposits to guarantee their supply of precious DRAM, which is now among the highest-value commodities in the world by weight; mainstream DRAM chips are worth over half as much per kilogram as solid gold. PC and smartphone makers are simply fighting over the scraps, as low-priority markets compared to the extremely lucrative AI datacenter buildouts. And lucrative they are indeed; all four memory vendors (SK hynix, Samsung, Micron, and China's CXMT) have increased revenues by double, triple, or even more, all in just the space of one year.
For consumer prices to drop, we would essentially need a major contraction in the AI market, which would mean a massive correction in financial markets worldwide. Absent that, the people actually making the chips don't see an end in sight. SK Hynix CEO Kwak Noh-jung recently warned that 2027 will be the worst year for memory supply in the industry's history, forecasting that demand will outstrip their ability to produce it well into 2030. ADATA's Chairman, Simon Chen, was even more pessimistic, suggesting this DRAM crisis could last another 10 years and dismissing the idea of an "AI bubble" bursting anytime soon.
The era of cheap, plentiful memory is over, at least for now. If you need RAM today, you're either going to have to bite the bullet and pay the premium, or learn to get by with less. Make sure you check out our RAM price tracking post for the best deals we found on memory, as well as some tips on how to secure solid deals yourself.
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