RAM Has Become Crazy Expensive – Why?

Right now, memory (RAM) prices are spiking like never before - in some cases doubling or tripling compared to just months ago. If you are building a new PC or buying a laptop this will cause massive prices increases.

PC & laptop Manufacturers and even single-board computer producers (like Raspberry Pi) are warning that costs are going up because the global supply of RAM is under large strain. Most of that strain comes from big AI data centres buying up memory chips.

A Quick Look Back: How We Got Here

RAM (Random Access Memory) has always been a commodity market - prices go down when factories are busy and supply is plentiful, and they go up when demand exceeds what manufacturers can produce. Simple supply and demand. Over the last decade, memory manufacturers worked hard to keep prices reasonable by building more computer factory capacity. But that balancing act has shifted a lot in the past year.

A few key trends have come together:

1. Massive AI-Driven Demand

One of the biggest drivers of RAM prices in late 2025 is unprecedented demand from AI companies. Modern generative AI, from large language models like ChatGPT to other deep learning systems, requires huge quantities of memory, especially high-bandwidth memory. These AI data centres are buying up memory supplies that used to go into everyday computer devices like laptops and desktop PCs. Thus pushing up the price.

Manufacturers are prioritising selling to AI infrastructure clients (who pay top dollar), making less memory is available for regular DDR4 and DDR5 memory that go into PCs, laptops, phones and other consumer gear.

2. Production Shifts and Limited Capacity

On top of AI demand, RAM makers have been shifting production away from older DDR4 towards newer DDR5 and specialised AI-focused memory – because this is where their profits are maximised. Often that means fewer production lines for the memory most people use -and when supply shrinks while demand rises, prices go up fast.

3. Prices Are Really, Really Up… Seriously!

Industry tracking shows DRAM prices (the core technology behind most RAM) jumping more than 190% year-over-year in 2025, outpacing even gold on the commodities markets.

Retail examples reflect this increase -e.g. a memory kit that cost $200 earlier in the year might now cost $600 or more. Some premium kits have absurd tags in certain shops.

What It Means for You

This isn’t just tech press noise. Ram pricing affects real people:

PC Builders and Upgrades

If you’re building a PC computer or upgrading a machine, RAM is one of the first things that gets pricier. Popular DDR5 kits have seen 60–130 % price rises in late 2025 alone, depending on speed and capacity. The latest 64GB kit from PB Tech is over $1800!

That means:

A 32GB or 64GB kit costs a lot more than it did months ago
Budget desktop builds become harder to price right
Faster memory doesn’t just cost a bit more - it costs double or even triple

Smartphone Prices May Rise

Phones don’t use the same DDR modules, but they use LPDDR memory, and that supply chain is also feeling the pressure. Analysts say this could push average smartphone prices higher -budget phones may be hit especially hard since they operate on thinner profit margins.

Manufacturers Are Reacting

Companies from big PC builders to Raspberry Pi have already adjusted prices because of memory costs. Even small increases in memory cost can lead to bigger jumps in product prices, especially when razor-thin margins are involved.

When Will This Ease?

While some reports suggest production may gradually catch up, many experts think the memory market won’t truly loosen until 2027 or 2028 - because building new memory fabrications takes years, and demand for AI-centric memory isn’t going away.

What You Can Do

Here’s some practical advice if you’re thinking about buying or upgrading soon:

✅ Buy sooner rather than later -prices could keep rising in the short term.
✅ Consider pre-built systems -makers may have inventory purchased before prices spiked.
✅ Maximise the RAM you already have -optimise systems and delay upgrades where sensible.

If you’re thinking about upgrading RAM, building a PC, or wondering whether to replace a laptop - give us a call or swing by. We can help assess the best path forward based on current parts prices and what you actually need.