The price of RAM has reached levels in August 2026 that were hard to imagine just twelve months ago. Data collected by PCPartPicker show year-over-year increases of up to 485% in certain DDR5 kits, while monitoring by ComputerBase in Europe reflects an average rise of 345% since September 2025. SSDs and hard drives have also become more expensive, but no category is experiencing a comparable surge to main memory.
The key points of the memory price crisis in 30 seconds
- Some DDR5 kits now cost between 372% and 485% more than a year ago in the United States.
- In Europe, ComputerBase records an average increase of 345% in RAM since September 2025.
- A 64 GB DDR5 kit at 6,000 MT/s that previously cost $222 now reaches $1,272.
- Analyzed SSDs have increased on average by 126%, and HDDs by 129%.
This situation also breaks with one of the usual market expectations. Historically, memory has been a very cyclical product: when there was overproduction, prices could plummet within months; as demand recovered, prices went back up. This time, the magnitude of the change is much greater and coincides with enormous demand from data centers and artificial intelligence infrastructure.
The issue isn’t affecting all memory types equally. DDR4 has also increased, but the PCPartPicker data shows rises of approximately 120% to 177%. The real jump is in DDR5, which is precisely the technology used by modern desktop and server platforms.
A 64 GB kit goes from $222 to $1,272
American data highlights the scale of this change.
According to PCPartPicker, DDR5 kits of 2 x 16 GB at 4,800 MT/s have seen increases of around 372% year over year, while certain 2 x 32 GB sets at 5,600 MT/s have risen by approximately 485%.
One of the most extreme examples is a 64 GB DDR5 kit at 6,000 MT/s that previously cost $222 and now sells for around $1,272.
That price would have been enough a few years ago to build a high-performance complete computer.
Europe is following a similar trend, although with different methodologies. ComputerBase analyzes a fixed set of popular products in European stores monthly, comparing their evolution since mid-September 2025.
In August, the average increase in their RAM sample reached 345%, up from 311% the previous month.
| DDR5 Product | September 2025 | August 2026 | Increment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Patriot Viper Venom 32 GB | 87 € | 429 € | +394% |
| Kingston Fury Beast 32 GB | 114 € | 523 € | +360% |
| Crucial Pro 32 GB | 84 € | 400 € | +378% |
| Kingston Fury Beast 64 GB | 213 € | 1,036 € | +386% |
| Corsair Vengeance RGB 64 GB | 245 € | 1,189 € | +385% |
| G.Skill Flare X5 32 GB | 112 € | 516 € | +363% |
These are specific reference prices and do not mean that every DDR5 kit has increased exactly by these proportions. Nonetheless, the data illustrates a trend affecting nearly the entire category.
SSDs and hard drives are also rising, but much less than RAM
The crisis isn’t limited to main memory.
ComputerBase estimates that their tested SSDs now cost an average of 126% more than in September 2025. Mechanical hard drives have increased by 129%.
This is notable because HDDs and SSDs rely on entirely different technologies. In SSDs, the pressure is directly related to the NAND Flash market, while hard drives depend on different supply chains.
However, both are feeling the impact of the substantial increase in capacity required by data centers.
The difference in magnitude compared to RAM remains enormous.
| Category | Average increase since September 2025 |
|---|---|
| RAM | +345% |
| HDD | +129% |
| SSD | +126% |
Clear examples are seen in SSDs. The Samsung 990 Pro 2 TB has gone from 146 to 336 euros, a 130% increase. The Samsung 990 EVO Plus 4 TB rises from 240 to 572 euros, while a Kingston NV3 1 TB nearly triples in price, from 50 to 145 euros.
In hard drives, an 18 TB Toshiba MG09 that cost 288 euros now costs 839 euros in the tracked data, representing a 191% increase.
The result is that expanding memory and storage has become a much larger part of the budgets for any server, NAS, workstation, or PC.
AI is changing where manufacturers want to sell memory
The explanation isn’t simply that “AI is buying all the RAM,” but the expansion of data centers is profoundly shifting the priorities of Samsung, SK hynix, and Micron.
AI accelerators require enormous amounts of HBM (High Bandwidth Memory). At the same time, servers hosting these accelerators incorporate large DDR5 capacities and increasing storage.
HBM is especially attractive to manufacturers because it involves more complex technologies, consumes a large share of production capacity, and is sold with higher margins compared to much of conventional memory.
This means that the same industry producing memory for personal computers has strong incentives to focus investments and capacity on higher-value products aimed at data centers.
The effect is evident even in machines that will never run an AI model.
A user wanting to upgrade a home PC to 64 GB is indirectly competing within an industry channeling resources toward servers capable of housing terabytes of memory and accelerators with large stacks of HBM.
Memory for 2027 is already starting to be committed
One of the most concerning signs for those expecting a quick drop is the information about future contracts.
Recent reports suggest that Samsung, SK hynix, and Micron already have much of, or even nearly all, their available capacity for 2027 committed.
This information should be approached cautiously, as it doesn’t mean RAM will disappear from stores nor that additional capacity can’t be produced. Contracts don’t necessarily cover every memory type and market equally.
But it does indicate that major clients are trying to secure supply far in advance.
This behavior is significant.
When buyers believe there will be excess supply, they wait and negotiate prices. When they think capacity will be insufficient, they try to lock in multi-year contracts before their competitors.
Currently, the memory industry seems much closer to the latter scenario.
The PC price is starting to change due to a component once considered a given
For years, processors and graphics cards dominated the focus when building a PC.
Memory was relatively straightforward. Choosing 16, 32, or 64 GB altered the budget but didn’t typically change the overall class of the system.
With 64 GB of DDR5 surpassing 1,000 euros in certain models, that logic no longer holds.
The impact is even more pronounced in workstations and servers. A platform requiring 256 GB, 512 GB, or multiple terabytes may see differences of thousands or tens of thousands of euros compared to prices a year ago.
Cloud providers, hosting companies, and infrastructure operators are also feeling the strain. Price revisions related to the rising costs of DDR5 and NVMe are already being observed, especially with new high-capacity configurations.
This may ultimately lead to more expensive computers, less included memory, costly upgrades, or higher infrastructure service fees for users.
Waiting no longer guarantees a cheaper price
The key question is how long this situation will last.
The memory industry has repeatedly shown that cycles can turn quickly with new capacity additions or demand drops. Additional factories, process improvements, or surplus inventory could alter the current trend.
However, 2026 has a significant difference: the growth in AI infrastructure doesn’t seem like a one-time spike but a prolonged demand.
Manufacturers are investing in HBM, DDR5 for servers, and enterprise NAND because data center contracts have multi-year horizons.
This doesn’t guarantee that current prices will remain or that they will keep rising forever. Some prices may also be temporarily distorted by distribution or stock shortages.
But it does mean that the old expectation that memory will always be cheaper in six months is no longer a safe bet.
A year ago, 64 GB of DDR5 could be a reasonable upgrade for a high-end PC. In August 2026, some configurations cost as much as the entire computer did previously.
The AI race is creating many winners within the tech industry, but for those simply looking to buy RAM, SSDs, or storage for their next build, the effect so far has been quite the opposite.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much has DDR5 memory increased in price?
It depends on the product and market. PCPartPicker reports year-over-year increases of approximately 372% to 485% in some configurations, while ComputerBase calculates an average rise of 345% since September 2025 for their European sample.
Is DDR4 memory also going up?
Yes, but to a lesser extent. Data from the U.S. show increases roughly between 120% and 177% for certain DDR4 kits.
Are SSD prices also rising?
Yes. The subset monitored by ComputerBase shows an average increase of 126% since September 2025. Some specific models have risen more, others less.
Will RAM prices fall in 2027?
It’s not certain yet. Reports of capacity already committed for 2027 suggest supply will remain tight, though the actual evolution will depend on new investments, production, inventories, and demand from data centers and consumer electronics.
via: techpowerup.com and computerbase.de
