- 64GB DDR5 RAM kits that cost $200 not too long ago now cost over $1,000.
- Soaring RAM prices have turned routine PC upgrades into luxury purchases
- The demand for AI is partly to blame for the current AMR crisis, but it’s not the only reason.
It’s not a good time to be a PC builder right now. Previously, buying RAM was something you did without much consideration, now you have to think not only about how much memory you need, but also how much you can actually allow.
If you’re looking for DDR5 RAM, you’ll need deep pockets, because PCPartPicker shows 64GB DDR5 kits surpassing the $1,000 mark.
Not long ago, this same capability would have been considered a wise upgrade rather than a luxury purchase. As a reminder, if you went shopping in August 2025, you would have to pay less than $250 for 64GB of DDR5.
Still on the rise
Until a month ago, averages were closer to the $600 to $700 range, already uncomfortable but far from four figures.
Within weeks, prices rose above $800, continued to climb, and surpassed $1,000, turning what were once incremental increases into a near-vertical rise.
This rhythm distorts the appearance of the data itself. On some PCPartPicker Price tracking charts, long periods of flat and stable RAM prices are visually compressed to make way for the sharp rise on the right edge.
Years of quiet RAM history are compressed into a thin strip so that the last peak can even fit on the screen.
While it is easy to point the finger at AI’s unquenchable thirst for memory in the face of the current crisis, this is not the only reason.
DRAM production has not kept up with demand. Older memory types are phased out, newer ones are geared toward higher-margin customers, and consumer RAM remains exposed when supply tightens.
RAM is now so expensive that USB sticks are being stolen from computer monitors, warehouses, returned systems, and even offices – which would have seemed absurd when 64GB cost a fraction of today’s price.
For builders and buyers, the message is hard to ignore. Even though some forms of memory are increasing more slowly than others, it will be a while before things stabilize and even longer before prices return to almost “normal.”
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