For Desktop (Gaming & Work): A-Tech 16GB DDR 4 (Check Today’s Price Here), A-Tech 16GB DDR 5 (Check Today’s Price Here), G.SKILL 32GB DDR4 (Check Today’s Price Here). For Laptop (Gaming & Work): A-Tech 16GB DDR 4 (Check Today’s Price Here), A-Tech 16GB DDR 5 (Check Today’s Price Here), Timetec 32GB DDR4 (Check Today’s Price Here).

Why is RAM So Expensive Right Now?

I have tested a lot of hardware in my career, but I have rarely seen a single component disrupt the entire industry like this. Usually, price spikes are caused by one thing: a factory fire, a power outage, or a shipping blockage like the Ever Given in the Suez Canal. This time, it is different. This is a perfect storm of three structural changes hitting simultaneously.

1. The Local AI Revolution

Last year, everyone was talking about AI in the cloud. You would type into a prompt, it went to a server farm owned by Microsoft or Google, and the answer came back. That changed in late 2025. With the release of efficient local models like Llama 4 and Mistral Local, millions of enthusiasts realized they could run powerful AI on their own desks, completely private and offline.

But there is a catch. To run a decent AI model locally, you need a massive amount of fast memory to store the “weights” of the model.

I tested this myself on my test bench last week. I tried to load a 70B parameter model. It immediately ate 40GB of system RAM. If I only had 32GB, the system would have crashed or ground to a halt as it swapped data to the SSD. Suddenly, 64GB isn’t “overkill” for a consumer PC anymore. It is the minimum requirement for the hottest tech trend of the year. This demand hit the market like a freight train, wiping out the stock of high-capacity kits.

2. The High Bandwidth Memory Pivot

This is the part the manufacturers don’t put in press releases. Companies like Samsung and SK Hynix make the silicon chips for your RAM. They also make the silicon for NVIDIA’s massive AI graphics cards (the H200 and B100 series).

Those AI cards use a special type of memory called HBM (High Bandwidth Memory). HBM is incredibly profitable. Standard PC RAM is not. So, the manufacturers made a cold business calculation. They physically converted their factory lines to make more HBM and less standard RAM.

Every wafer of HBM they produce is a wafer of PC RAM that does not get made. We are literally fighting data centers for the sand to build our chips.

3. The Death of DDR4

Look at the table above again. The G.SKILL Ripjaws V kit went from $50 to $240. That is a DDR4 kit. Manufacturers have been trying to kill DDR4 for years to force everyone onto DDR5. They slashed production targets for 2026, assuming nobody would want the old stuff.

They were wrong.

People are holding onto their older AM4 motherboards (like the B450 and B550) and older laptops longer than ever because CPUs haven’t gotten that much faster. So you have millions of people needing DDR4 upgrades, but the factories have almost stopped making it. Low supply plus high demand equals a 380% price hike.

DDR4 vs. DDR5: The Cost Analysis

A common question I get in my inbox is: “Should I just stick with DDR4 to save money?”

In 2024, the answer was yes. In 2026, the answer is a hard no.

Because of the supply squeeze I just mentioned, DDR4 has lost its value proposition. You are now paying a premium for “end of life” technology.

The Math:

• DDR4 32GB Kit: $240

• DDR5 32GB Kit: $210

It sounds insane, but the newer, faster technology is actually cheaper right now because there is slightly more supply of it. If you are building a new PC, do not build a DDR4 system. You will pay more for the motherboard and memory combined, and you will have no upgrade path for the future. You are painting yourself into a corner.

The Brand Landscape: Who Actually Makes Your RAM?

To understand the cost, you have to understand the product. You might see twenty different brands on Amazon—Corsair, G.SKILL, TeamGroup, Patriot, ADATA, Kingston—but none of them actually make the memory.

There are only three major manufacturers of the DRAM chips themselves:

1. Samsung

2. SK Hynix

3. Micron

Every brand you buy is just purchasing chips from these three giants and soldering them onto a green or black stick (PCB).

Why does this matter for price? Because these three companies operate as an oligopoly. When they all decide to pivot to HBM for AI, the entire global supply tightens. There is no “budget” brand that can undercut them because everyone’s raw materials cost the same.

However, some brands are reacting differently to the crisis:

• Corsair: They have kept prices high but supply stable. You pay a “Corsair Tax,” but you know the stick will work.

• TeamGroup & Silicon Power: These brands are currently fighting for the budget crown. They are often $10-$20 cheaper than the big names because they spend less on marketing and heat spreader design. In 2026, saving that $20 is crucial.

How Much Capacity Do You Really Need? (And What It Will Cost)

Price is irrelevant if you buy the wrong amount. I have updated my recommendations for 2026 based on current software requirements and these new prices.

The “Just Enough” Tier: 16GB ($120)

This used to be the standard. Now it is the bare minimum. Windows 12 (and modern Windows 11 updates) are heavier than ever. If you just browse the web, write documents, and play lighter esports titles like Valorant or League of Legends, 16GB is fine. But do not expect to leave forty Chrome tabs open while you game. If you do, your system will hitch.

The “Gamer” Sweet Spot: 32GB ($240)

For AAA gaming, 32GB is non-negotiable. Games like GTA VI (anticipated) and heavily modded Cyberpunk 2077 will stutter on 16GB. I have seen memory usage in Cities: Skylines II hit 22GB alone. This is a painful purchase at $240, but if you go lower, you are effectively throttling the performance of your $800 graphics card. You are putting bicycle tires on a Ferrari.

The “Creator / AI” Tier: 64GB ($500)

If you edit 4K video, use Adobe After Effects, or want to dabble in local AI, 64GB is your floor. This is the segment that has seen the biggest price inflation because this is where the AI crowd is shopping. I know spending $500 on RAM feels like robbery. But the alternative is your workflow crashing mid-render.

The “God Tier”: 128GB+ ($900+)

Unless you are running a professional workstation earning billable hours, stay away. The pricing scaling here is horrific. Consumer CPUs (like the Core i9 or Ryzen 9) often struggle to run 128GB at high speeds anyway, so you are paying $900 for unstable, slow memory.

The Hidden Costs: Latency and Speed

When you are shopping on Amazon, you will see numbers like “CL36” or “CL30” next to the price. This is CAS Latency. Lower is better.

In this market, tight timings (low latency) command a massive premium. A DDR5 6000MHz CL30 kit might cost $40 more than a CL36 kit.

My advice? Skip it. In 2026, the price difference isn’t worth the 1% or 2% performance gain you might see in games. With prices this high, you should focus purely on capacity and stability. Do not pay an extra $50 just to get slightly tighter timings. Your wallet is already hurting enough. A stable 6000MHz CL36 kit is perfectly fine for 99% of users.

The “RGB Tax” Is Still Real

Even in a crisis, the “RGB Tax” exists. Lighting up your memory modules with LEDs adds manufacturing complexity. My data shows that on average, an RGB kit costs about $15 to $30 more than the non-RGB version of the exact same stick.

If you are on a tight budget, buy the “blackout” or non-RGB versions. Look for the Corsair Vengeance LPX (non-RGB) or the standard Crucial Pro sticks. Your PC won’t look as flashy, but you will save enough money to buy a decent lunch—or put that money toward a better SSD.

Troubleshooting: When New RAM Goes Bad

One side effect of high demand is quality control. I have noticed an uptick in user reports of “Dead on Arrival” (DOA) sticks in late 2025 and 2026. Factories are running 24/7, and sometimes bad bins slip through.

If you buy a new kit and your PC crashes:

1. Don’t Panic: It might just be the motherboard training the memory. DDR5 training can take up to 5 minutes on the first boot. Let it sit.

2. Test One Stick: Try booting with just one stick in slot A2. Then try the other.

3. Update BIOS: Motherboard manufacturers are releasing constant updates to improve compatibility with these newer, high-density kits.

Survival Strategy: How to Buy RAM in 2026

So, you need RAM. You see the prices. You want to cry. What do you do? Here is my playbook for navigating this mess.

1. The Used Market is Your Best Friend

I cannot stress this enough. RAM is incredibly durable. It rarely breaks. Unlike a graphics card that might have been burned out by a crypto miner, used RAM is generally safe. Go to eBay, Facebook Marketplace, or r/hardwareswap. Look for listings from 2024 or early 2025. You might find people selling their old 32GB kits for $100 because they don’t realize the market has spiked. This is the single best way to beat the surge.

2. Look for “Platform Bundles”

Retailers like Micro Center or Newegg are struggling to sell CPUs because nobody wants to pay the RAM prices to build a whole system. To fix this, they are offering bundles: CPU + Motherboard + RAM. Often, they effectively discount the RAM heavily inside these bundles to move the processors. I saw a bundle last week where the included 32GB DDR5 kit effectively cost $100 if you subtracted the MSRP of the CPU and board.

3. Mix and Match? (Proceed with Caution)

I usually tell people never to mix RAM brands. But in a crisis, rules get bent. If you already have 16GB of Corsair RAM and you need 32GB, finding another 16GB stick of the exact same speed and latency is cheaper than buying a fresh 32GB kit. It might not look pretty, and you might have to fiddle with BIOS settings to get it stable, but it can save you $100.

4. Wait for Q3 2026

If you do not need to upgrade today, don’t. Market analysts (and my own look at the supply charts) suggest that new fabrication plants in Arizona and Germany will start pumping out consumer DDR5 in the third quarter of this year. Supply will increase. 

Future Predictions on Ram Prices With Historical Context: We Have Been Here Before!

It helps to have perspective. I remember 2018 clearly. That year, a massive shortage of DRAM chips caused prices to double. Everyone thought PC gaming was doomed.

But the market always corrects itself. High prices encourage manufacturers to build more factories. It takes time (usually 18 to 24 months), but the pendulum always swings back. The difference this time is the AI factor. AI is not a temporary trend like a specific crypto coin; it is a fundamental shift in computing.

That means the “floor” for prices might be permanently higher than it was in the golden days of 2025.

The AI hype might cool down slightly. Prices will not go back to $50, but they might settle back down to $120.