Those looking to buy a gaming PC or upgrade their old machine have to dig deep into their pockets. Especially RAM, which used to be one of the cheapest components, is absurdly expensive at the moment. And experts believe it will remain that way for a while.
Over the past six months, the price of RAM has seen a massive jump. A sample based on the 32-GB DDR5 RAM kit from Corsair shows: from around 125 euros back then, the price has now risen to 450 euros (according to Geizhals.de).
The reason is the growing apparent hunger for RAM from companies that want to train artificial intelligences. Manufacturers cannot meet the demand with their supply or choose to produce only for large buyers. As a result, prices for consumers are rising.
The shortage and high prices have even led to questionable methods to obtain RAM and even brazen theft directly from PCs in stores. A few companies are already taking action, but experts believe it will still take time for the effect to be felt.
You can track current prices for RAM live in our RAM price ticker.
No improvement is expected before the end of 2027
Market researchers from Counterpoint (paywall) have analyzed how the price of RAM has developed in recent months. Compared to the last quarter of 2025, RAM has increased in price by between 130% and 180%, even older models (via The Korea Herald, translated with Google).
Companies like Samsung Electronics, SK Hynix, Micron, and others are already working to increase DRAM production over the course of the year. However, this alone is not enough to offset the shortage.
According to Counterpoint, RAM will remain scarce at least until the second half of 2027. Therefore, no significant price relief is expected before then.
The high prices cause dissatisfaction and frustration, especially among gamers, some of whom are venting their frustrations. Some are even calling for a boycott of RAM, even though this is unlikely to make a significant impact given the size of the AI companies.
Even relying on old RAM will not help much in most cases, as prices have risen even there. What can help is luck; sometimes you can get more RAM easily and cheaply, but the probability is near zero: User spontaneously buys 25 kilos of junk for 80 euros from Amazon, gets lucky, and receives 40 pieces of RAM
