RAM prices are spiking and it might get worse
If you feel like every time you are ready to upgrade your gaming PC some new shortage appears, you are not imagining things. Right now RAM prices are going through what many are calling a nightmare for PC gamers, and according to Maingear CEO Wallace Santos, it is not going to improve any time soon.
Over the last few months memory prices have shot up dramatically. Just a short while ago around Prime Day in July you could see 64 GB DDR5 kits selling for about 170 dollars. Now similar capacity kits are climbing to around 600 dollars during Black Friday season.
This is not just a small bump. That is more than triple the price in only a few months. With that kind of increase, a lot of gamers are waiting, hoping that prices will settle back down before they commit to a big upgrade.
Unfortunately the outlook from the system builder side is not very encouraging. Wallace Santos says demand, driven in large part by AI and data center needs, is pushing DRAM prices up and creating supply constraints that could stretch out for years, possibly into 2027.
Maingear already sees these higher DRAM prices when it buys parts for its prebuilt systems. So far it has not fully passed those costs on to customers, but even a company that buys in bulk can only absorb so much.
Why this matters for PC gamers and upgraders
For everyday PC owners this situation hits in a few important ways:
- Gaming RAM is getting expensive DDR5 kits for modern platforms are much pricier than they were just a few months ago and deals are much harder to find.
- Stock could become a problem Santos warns that as supply gets tighter, lead times for systems will extend and certain kits or capacities might be harder to find.
- Other components may follow It is not only your system memory that is affected. The same memory supply issues can ripple out to graphics card VRAM and SSDs.
That last point is especially important. Modern GPUs rely on fast VRAM and SSDs use NAND and controllers that can also get more expensive when memory markets tighten.
There is another twist. Nvidia used to ship both the GPU die and the VRAM chips together to its board partners. Now it is reportedly only supplying the GPU silicon and leaving its partners to source VRAM on their own. In a market where memory is already expensive and supply is strained, that means graphics card manufacturers may end up paying more for VRAM and passing that cost on to gamers through higher GPU prices.
So while the immediate pain is on RAM for your motherboard, it can easily spread into the whole PC component stack. That includes:
- DDR4 and DDR5 system memory
- GDDR VRAM on graphics cards
- SSDs that rely on flash memory
- Prebuilt gaming PCs that bundle all of the above
Prebuilt systems have a bit of a buffer because companies like Maingear buy in bulk and sometimes lock in pricing for a period of time. That can delay price hikes for gamers who choose a prebuilt. But as Santos points out, if costs continue to rise and stock becomes more constrained, even prebuilts will eventually reflect the new reality.
Should you buy now or wait for prices to drop
The key takeaway from Maingear’s CEO is simple: if you are seriously planning to upgrade your PC’s GPU, RAM, or SSD in the near future, do not assume prices will get better if you wait. In his words, consumers should consider shopping now and look for offerings that have not yet seen price increases.
That does not mean you should panic buy. It does mean you should be strategic.
- Focus on real upgrades If you already have enough RAM for your games, like 16 or 32 GB for most builds, do not upgrade just to chase a bigger number. Save your budget for a meaningful performance jump like a better GPU or a faster SSD if you truly need it.
- Hunt carefully for deals Black Friday and seasonal sales still have some decent RAM and SSD offers, but the good ones are rarer. Compare prices against what you saw a few months ago and make sure the discount is real.
- Consider a prebuilt In some cases a prebuilt gaming PC can temporarily dodge the worst of the increases because the builder bought parts earlier. If you were already open to a full system upgrade, this can sometimes be better value than building from scratch during a memory crunch.
- Lock in a balanced build Do not overspend on RAM capacity while skimping on your GPU or CPU. Aim for a balanced system that will actually improve your gaming performance.
The uncomfortable truth is that there is no clear sign of memory prices returning to old levels in the short term. With AI demand still strong and manufacturers managing limited production, the current price spike may be closer to the new normal than a temporary blip.
For PC gamers, that means treating RAM, VRAM, and SSD upgrades as carefully planned purchases rather than impulse buys. If you see a fair price now on the parts you need and you know you will upgrade within the next few months anyway, waiting for a magical price drop might not pay off.
In short, this is one of those times where acting a little earlier can save you money and help you avoid stock shortages later. Keep an eye on trusted retailers, compare offers, and aim for components that truly move the needle for your games. The RAM apocalypse might be here for a while, but with smart timing and focused upgrades, you can still build or refresh a solid gaming rig without completely breaking your budget.
Original article and image: https://www.pcgamer.com/hardware/the-prices-will-continue-to-rise-better-get-your-new-gaming-pc-or-system-upgrades-now-because-this-problem-isnt-getting-any-better-says-maingears-ceo/
