Memory pricing is a hot topic these days as consumers struggle to purchase any, with little hope of prices dropping. Memory costs are reaching new all-time highs, with various trackers reporting that prices in August this year are up to five times more expensive than the same month last year for DRAM kits. According to data from PCPartPicker, DDR5 memory prices have increased anywhere from 372% for 2 x 16 GB 4,800 MT/s kits to 485% for 2 x 32 GB kits running at 5,600 MT/s. A 6,000 MT/s 64 GB kit, which used to cost $222, is now considered a luxury investment at an astounding $1,272. At the TechPowerUp editorial team, we remember when that was the entire budget for building a very decent high-end gaming PC.

PCPartPicker also shows that DDR4 kits have increased by 120% to 177%, which is still significant but mainly affects those using the older DDR4 technology. For those on a newer DDR5 platform, the change is much more pronounced. Note that PCPartPicker only tracks pricing in the United States, while German websites like ComputerBase have reported a 345% year-over-year increase for August in the Eurozone, which is much higher than anything seen before. With no signs of slowing down, we might see even higher year-over-year changes.

According to earlier reports, the entire memory production capacity for 2027 has been fully booked, well ahead of industry expectations. All of the big three memory makers—Samsung, SK hynix, and Micron—have sold out their memory capacity for the upcoming year, leaving no room for additional supply for third parties to purchase more DRAM wafers.