- RAM prices skyrocket after a long period of relative stability
- 64GB DDR4 kits have gone up from around $150 to around $400 to $600
- DDR4 and DDR5 kits show massive increases in multiple capacities
RAM prices have been steadily rising at a rate that is becoming incredibly difficult to ignore, and while some of the blame for the increase can be placed on memory giants SK Hynix, Samsung and Micron, who prioritize the needs of hyperscalers and AI companies over consumers, the situation is more complicated than that, as I recently wrote.
If you’re hoping to build a new PC or upgrade an existing one, you’ll need to budget a lot more for RAM than you probably expected, especially if you need DDR4.
Memory trend charts PCPartPicker show how much has changed in a relatively short time. For much of 2025, the price of DDR4 remained largely stable. A typical 32GB DDR4 kit was typically around $70 to $90, depending on speed and brand.
Very high prices
Fast forward to today, and recent tracker data shows that many 2x16GB DDR4 kits are now over $150, with higher price listings approaching $200 or more.
The change is much more pronounced at higher capacities. 2x32GB DDR4 kits that spent much of their time averaging between $120 and $150 have risen dramatically, with current averages moving toward the $350 to $400 range.
Individual listings at the high end are now approaching $600.
Those increases are large enough that older price history is being visually compressed on some of them. PCPartPicker graphics.
Long flat stretches of relatively stable prices have been reduced to accommodate the rapid rise near the right edge.
The price of DDR5 is also rising, although that curve seems a little less steep.
Kits that previously cost around $150 are now most commonly tracked in the $250 to $300 range.
This continued price increase will inevitably alter how memory fits into overall system budgets for many manufacturers. RAM is no longer a predictable purchase that can be treated as a minor item.
If the current direction holds, memory could soon rival CPUs and GPUs as one of the largest individual costs of a build. This would have been difficult to imagine at this time a year ago.
Not all memory-related components are affected in the same way. NAND-based storage prices are showing much less movement, at least for now.
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