DDR5 Prices in Germany Have Increased by 319% Since July 2025

Building a new PC or expanding your RAM has become much more expensive than a year ago. The rise in DDR5 memory prices continues to persist in the German market, and according to the latest index updated by 3DCenter for June 2026, the average price of 20 DDR5 products now stands at 419% of the level recorded in July 2025.

This figure has a straightforward interpretation: it doesn’t mean the memory has increased by 419%, but that its current price is equivalent to 419% of the starting point. In terms of accumulated price increase, the rise is around 319%. That means kits that could be purchased at relatively reasonable prices last summer are now, in many cases, selling for four times as much.

The report is based on retail prices from German stores collected on Geizhals during the mid-month weekend. 3DCenter always uses the best available price for products defined by technical specifications, not by specific brands, and excludes offers from eBay and Amazon Marketplace to avoid resellers’ distortions. While this methodology doesn’t necessarily represent all of Europe, it provides a useful snapshot of one of the continent’s most relevant hardware markets.

DDR5 in a crisis-driven pricing environment

The sharpest price jumps no longer happen with the dramatic surges seen between November 2025 and January 2026, when the index rose from 179% to 440%. Now, the market appears to have stabilized at a very high level. In June, the DDR5 index increased slightly from 414% to 419%, just a 1% monthly increase, but there are no clear signs of normalization.

June’s data confirms that the slight drop seen in March did not lead to a real recovery phase. DDR5 retreated from its peak of 440%, but has since risen again and remains over 400% since the beginning of the year.

The pressure is especially evident in higher-capacity, high-performance kits. The most notable example is the 2 x 32 GB DDR5-6000 CL28 kit, which went from €208 in July 2025 to €1,000 in June 2026. In just the last month, it increased by 22%, after costing €819 in May.

Not all references increased in June. The 2 x 16 GB DDR5-6000 CL28 kit dropped by 10%, from €464 to €417. Some high-end DDR5-6400 kits also declined slightly. However, these temporary drops do not alter the overall picture: the average price remains at extraordinarily high levels.

The crisis no longer affects only RAM

The 3DCenter report offers a broader view beyond DDR5 price increases. The so-called memory crisis has spread to other categories, albeit with varying intensities. DDR5 remains the most affected product, but SODIMMs for laptops, DDR3/DDR4, internal SSDs, and hard drives are also experiencing notable price increases.

DDR3 and DDR4 show a somewhat more positive trend, with a 6.7% monthly decrease and an index falling to 296%. Still, they are nearly three times more expensive than in July 2025. For users with older systems, they might represent a less aggressive alternative compared to DDR5, but prices remain far from normal.

Internal SSDs are roughly double their summer 2025 prices. The index reached 203% in June, with a monthly rise of 1.8%. According to 3DCenter, this evolution has been relatively sideways, apart from a notable exception: 8TB PCIe 4.0 M.2 SSDs with DRAM increased by 24% in just one month, from €830 to €1,029.

Internal hard drives, which seemed less exposed for months, are also beginning to rise more clearly. Their index now stands at 212%, with a monthly increase of 7.7%. As for external drives, the June jump is more pronounced: +18%, driven mainly by high-capacity models, such as the 24TB external drive, which went from €520 to €1,149.

AI demand puts pressure on consumers

3DCenter links the crisis to the pressure of artificial intelligence infrastructure on the memory supply chain. The report points to contracts between OpenAI and Samsung, as well as SK Hynix, which are believed to have secured access to a significant portion of worldwide memory chip production. The consequence, according to this analysis, was a chain reaction: PC manufacturers, component and electronics makers attempted to secure remaining supplies, driving prices sharply upward.

This interpretation should be viewed with caution, as the final price of memory depends on many factors: production capacity, long-term contracts, data center demand, inventories, distribution margins, product types, and retail channel behavior. But the overall trend aligns with a clear market shift: the professional segment and data centers are absorbing more capacity and paying more for it.

For consumer users, the result is uncomfortable. RAM has ceased to be a relatively inexpensive component within a PC budget. In modern builds, choosing 64 GB of DDR5 can be disproportionately costly compared to the motherboard, CPU, or storage. And for content creation, development, video editing, or demanding gaming systems, reducing memory isn’t always a practical option.

The laptop and prebuilt markets are also becoming more complicated. Manufacturers, facing higher memory costs, may pass some costs onto the final price, trim configurations, or reserve higher capacities for premium models. Simultaneously, users wanting to upgrade their laptops with DDR5 SODIMMs find a market that is also far from last summer’s prices.

Assembling a PC requires more planning

This situation doesn’t mean nobody should buy memory now, but it does require better planning. Those needing to build a PC for work, production, or study will have to accept high prices. Others might prefer to delay non-urgent upgrades or adjust their initial configuration.

A reasonable strategy is to avoid high-end kits if not necessary. The 3DCenter table shows that some very specific products, like the 2 x 32 GB DDR5-6000 CL28 kit, have seen particularly sharp increases. Conversely, some modules have remained stable or even slightly decreased in June. Comparing capacities, latencies, and frequencies can save a significant amount of money.

It might also make sense to explore alternative platforms. In some cases, a system based on DDR4 can still be suitable for office tasks, light development, browsing, studying, or home use. It won’t be the most modern solution, but it can reduce overall costs, especially if leveraging existing hardware or second-hand components.

The challenge is that there are no clear signs of a rapid normalization. 3DCenter concludes that the German retail market has entered a phase of high, sideways prices. The period of large jumps may have temporarily paused, but there’s no real correction. Moreover, some categories that had better resistance, like hard drives, are starting to increase again.

DDR5 has thus become one of the most visible examples of the clash between AI demand and the consumer market. Data centers need memory, storage, and energy at large scales. Manufacturers prioritize segments that offer higher margins and volume. Meanwhile, the average buyer ends up paying prices of a crisis they didn’t cause but which influences each upgrade.

FAQs

Why has DDR5 memory increased so much?

The 3DCenter report attributes the rise to strong demand from AI infrastructure, data centers, and manufacturers trying to secure supplies.

How much does DDR5 cost now compared to July 2025?

The average DDR5 index in Germany is at 419% of the July 2025 level, representing an approximate cumulative increase of 319%.

Which DDR5 kit increased the most in June?

The 2 x 32 GB DDR5-6000 CL28 kit went from €819 to €1,000 between May and June, a 22% monthly increase.

Is it advisable to wait before buying RAM?

It depends on urgency. If upgrades aren’t necessary immediately, waiting might make sense. For critical systems, compare kits, avoid extreme configurations, and tailor capacity, frequency, and latency to actual needs.

via: 3dcenter.org