It keeps rising: The pricing for PC RAM has gotten so ridiculous that a pack of 64GB DDR5 memory can now easily exceed $500, more than a Sony PlayStation 5.
PC builders have noticed prices reaching new levels in recent days when demand for AI data centers continues to eat into memory supplies.
Compared to earlier this year, the price hikes can range from 120% to 200%, especially for the newer DDR5 RAM. For example, the average price for a pair of 32GB DDR5 sticks (for a total of 64GB) has topped $600, up from $200, according to PCPartPicker.com.
(Credit: PCPartPicker)
That’s even more than the disc-based PS5, which is currently on sale for Black Friday at $499.
Graphs from PCPartPicker also show that prices for DDR4 and DDR5 have continued to climb. If you need even more DDR5 RAM at 128GB, you can expect to pay over $1,000, a massive increase from the more normal $400 pricing. It’s also far more than PS5 Pro, which is also receiving a Black Friday discount at $649.
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The pricing situation has become so volatile that one user spotted a Micro Center store in Texas removing all pricing for DDR5 products. Instead, the location has posted a sign asking interested customers to ask a sales associate how much it costs.
Naturally, the RAM pricing has irked PC builders. “We really don’t hate on the AI bubble enough man,” wrote one user on X/Twitter. “Ruined graphics cards and now DDR5 RAM is going to the moon like gold.” There’s also growing concern that AI demand will create a shortage of SSDs, which could also inflate pricing.
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The other issue is that it takes year to build new component factories, so the high prices may continue in the short term. “RAM price increases will be a real problem for high-end gaming for several years,” Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney tweeted.
As a result, if you’re building a PC, it’s best to look out for any Black Friday discounts and pounce now, before prices risk rising even more.
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I’ve been a journalist for over 15 years. I got my start as a schools and cities reporter in Kansas City and joined PCMag in 2017, where I cover satellite internet services, cybersecurity, PC hardware, and more. I’m currently based in San Francisco, but previously spent over five years in China, covering the country’s technology sector.
Since 2020, I’ve covered the launch and explosive growth of SpaceX’s Starlink satellite internet service, writing 600+ stories on availability and feature launches, but also the regulatory battles over the expansion of satellite constellations, fights with rival providers like AST SpaceMobile and Amazon, and the effort to expand into satellite-based mobile service. I’ve combed through FCC filings for the latest news and driven to remote corners of California to test Starlink’s cellular service.
I also cover cyber threats, from ransomware gangs to the emergence of AI-based malware. Earlier this year, the FTC forced Avast to pay consumers $16.5 million for secretly harvesting and selling their personal information to third-party clients, as revealed in my joint investigation with Motherboard.
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