RAM Prices Too High? What Musk Said About Memory Makers

Are RAM prices too high for PC builders in Canada and the U.S.? The market data says yes, and now one of the biggest memory buyers in the world agrees. On October 13, 2026 (October 14 in Korea), Elon Musk wrote on X that “Micron has been reasonable regarding future memory prices, while others have been extortionate, which is something today’s customers won’t forget.” The same week, Tom’s Hardware reported that the cheapest 32GB DDR5-6000 kit in the U.S. had climbed to $449.97 USD.

Have the memory makers responded? Musk did not name any company, and he did not share prices or contract terms. Korean outlets such as Seoul Economic Daily and BusinessKorea read the remark as aimed at Samsung and SK hynix, the other two major DRAM makers, but neither Samsung nor SK hynix had publicly responded at the time those reports were published.

Why are RAM prices so high in 2026?

The short answer is AI. Memory makers are steering their most advanced production toward high-bandwidth memory (HBM) and server DRAM for AI data centers, which leaves less for desktop and laptop RAM. TrendForce says suppliers “continue to prioritize advanced-process capacity for high-performance server products,” keeping the overall market undersupplied in Q4 2026.

Tom’s Hardware also points out that even the “reasonable” supplier is very profitable: Micron reported an 81% GAAP gross margin for its fiscal fourth quarter of 2026, and about 90% non-GAAP gross margin in its mobile and client business, which includes PC memory. Tom’s Hardware adds that Micron acknowledges its new long-term supply agreements reflect today’s higher memory prices. In other words, Musk’s comment is about who is less aggressive, not about memory getting cheap.

Image credit: Micron

How much does DDR5 RAM cost now?

These are U.S. retail prices from Tom’s Hardware, with Canadian dollar estimates at the Bank of Canada rate of 1.4263 CAD per USD (October 14, 2026). The CAD figures are conversions only, not Canadian shelf prices, and they exclude sales tax.

• 32GB DDR5-6000 (cheapest kit): $449.97 USD, about 641,79 $ CA.
• 32GB DDR5-6000 in August 2026: about $400 USD, roughly 570,52 $ CA.
• Slower 32GB DDR5 kits (4800–5200 MT/s): from about $399 USD, roughly 569,09 $ CA. Tom’s Hardware notes the Corsair DDR5-4800 kit once sold for about $80 USD (about 114,10 $ CA).

Tom’s Hardware says RAM prices are up more than 500% since last year. The same report says combo bundles (RAM with a CPU, motherboard or SSD) can still save up to $358 USD at Newegg, and that prices on prebuilt PCs have been rising more slowly than DIY parts.

Will RAM prices go down in 2027?

Nothing in the current forecasts points that way. TrendForce projects conventional DRAM contract prices up 10–15% in Q4 2026 and says PC makers keep buying aggressively because they expect supply to stay tight in 2027. It also expects graphics memory (GDDR6 and GDDR7) prices to keep rising as suppliers scale back GDDR6 and send advanced capacity to AI products, which matters for graphics card pricing too.

There is one thing to watch. CNBC reports that Chinese DRAM maker CXMT says it made “key progress” on a denser 4F² memory design and plans new DDR5 server modules by the end of 2026, news that sent Micron, Samsung and SK hynix shares lower this week. But CXMT has not shared detailed specs or production volumes, and its new parts target servers first. That is a long-range competition story, not relief you can count on for a desktop build this fall or winter.

Should you buy RAM or a gaming PC now or wait?

Buy now if you need a PC or an upgrade in the next few months. Forecasts show prices still climbing into Q4 2026 and supply possibly getting tighter in 2027, so waiting is more likely to cost you than save you. To soften the RAM hit, look at a complete build: prebuilt and custom PCs spread the memory cost across the whole system, and bundles beat buying a lone kit at today’s peak. Browse our ready-to-play gaming PCs, get a custom PC quoted around your budget, or check our memory and graphics cards for upgrades.

Wait only if your current system still runs what you play and you can hold off for a year or more. A 16GB system that is “good enough” today is a better place to sit than paying peak prices for a RAM upgrade you don’t strictly need. If you already own a DDR4 platform, keep it running rather than switching to DDR5 just for the sake of it.

FAQ

Did Elon Musk name Samsung or SK hynix?

No. He wrote that Micron has been reasonable and that “others have been extortionate.” The link to Samsung and SK hynix comes from media interpretation, because those two and Micron dominate DRAM. Neither Korean company had publicly responded when Seoul Economic Daily and BusinessKorea published their reports.

How much is 32GB of DDR5 RAM right now?

In the U.S., the cheapest 32GB DDR5-6000 kit was $449.97 USD on October 14, 2026, about 641,79 $ CA at the Bank of Canada rate (an estimate, not a Canadian list price). Slower kits start around $399 USD.

Are RAM prices still going up?

Yes, according to TrendForce: conventional DRAM contract prices are forecast to rise 10–15% quarter over quarter in Q4 2026, with PC DRAM supply potentially tighter in 2027.

Is a prebuilt gaming PC cheaper than building one right now?

It can be. Tom’s Hardware notes that price hikes have reached prebuilt systems more slowly than individual parts, so compare a complete PC against the full cost of buying RAM, CPU, motherboard and GPU separately.

Sources: Elon Musk on X, Tom’s Hardware (Musk and Micron margins), Tom’s Hardware (DDR5-6000 at $450), Seoul Economic Daily, BusinessKorea, TrendForce, CNBC, Bank of Canada. Image credit: Micron