RAM prices in 2026: why memory is going up, how much it has risen and when it could fall

RAM prices in 2026 are still at record highs and haven't peaked yet. In Germany, where the 3DCenter site compiles an index of retail prices, DDR5 memory cost 5.6 times more on 17 October than in July 2025, and DDR4 3.9 times more, according to PC Games Hardware. The cause is artificial intelligence: manufacturers are devoting more and more of their output to HBM memory and data centre servers, leaving less memory for PCs.

The short answer if you're about to buy: nobody expects prices to fall this year, most analysts put relief somewhere between late 2027 and 2028, and the most sensible approach is to buy the memory you need when you need it, reuse what you already have and not overpay for speed. If you're looking for which processor, graphics card or power supply to choose, you'll find it in our 2026 gaming PC components guide; here we go into the detail of the memory market.

Why RAM is going up: AI is taking over the memory fabs

Almost all of the world's DRAM comes from three companies. In the second quarter of 2026, Samsung (39.4%), SK hynix (24.9%) and Micron (23.3%) shared around 88% of the industry's revenue, according to TrendForce. When those three decide what to use their fabs for, the whole market feels it.

HBM: more wafers for less memory

HBM (high bandwidth memory) is the type used in AI accelerators, such as Nvidia's Vera Rubin with HBM4. It's made on the same silicon wafers as a PC's DDR5, but it consumes far more of them: Micron CEO Sanjay Mehrotra explained that HBM3E needs around three times as many wafers as DDR5 for the same capacity, and that with HBM4 the ratio is even higher. It also sells for much more.

TrendForce estimates that HBM will go from 22% of the big three manufacturers' DRAM wafers in 2026 to around 30% by the end of 2027, although it will account for only 9% and 13% of the memory produced. At the end of September Samsung gave Reuters a similar figure for the industry as a whole: from 20% today to around 30% in 2027. Every wafer that goes to HBM is memory that never reaches DDR5 and DDR4 modules.

Servers and multi-year contracts

AI servers don't just use HBM: they also need large amounts of server DDR5 (RDIMM) and SSDs. TrendForce expects demand for enterprise SSDs to grow by more than 80% in 2026. Big buyers, such as cloud service providers, lock in supply with multi-year contracts:

• Micron has committed more than 75% of its fiscal 2027 output and has signed 26 strategic agreements with customers, some running until 2031.

• Samsung could cover between 60% and 70% of its medium- to long-term memory capacity with long-term contracts, according to The Korea Herald.

• SK hynix wrapped up supply negotiations with around ten customers in July, mostly for five years.

Anyone buying a RAM kit in a shop is at the back of the queue.

Fewer brands and less DDR4

The crisis has also changed what's on offer. Micron announced on 3 December 2025 that it was exiting its Crucial consumer brand, with shipments to shops continuing until February 2026, to devote that capacity to its big customers. And DDR4 has been on its way out for some time: the major manufacturers have cut production and, according to TrendForce, the expansion by Taiwanese manufacturers isn't enough to make up for it.

Manufacturers are earning more than ever

The figures explain why nobody is in a hurry to cut prices: on 8 October Samsung estimated a record operating profit of 107.4 trillion won for the third quarter (around $80 billion), up 782.5% on a year earlier, and Micron closed its 2026 fiscal year with a gross margin of 87% in the final quarter.

How much memory has gone up: contracts, DDR5, DDR4 and SSDs

Contract prices: what the big buyers pay

Manufacturers sell almost all of their output under contract, and those prices eventually filter through to the shops. Quarterly changes in conventional DRAM according to TrendForce:

• Q4 2025: +45–50% (actual figure).

• Q1 2026: +93–98% (actual figure). For PC DRAM, February's forecast was more than 100%.

• Q2 2026: +58–63% (June forecast).

• Q3 2026: +13–18% (July forecast).

• Q4 2026: +10–15% (30 September forecast).

The increases are slowing because prices are starting from very high levels and many customers can't pay more, but they aren't turning into decreases. For 2026 as a whole, Gartner estimated in April a rise of 125% for DRAM and 234% for the NAND memory used in SSDs.

Retail prices: DDR5 five and a half times more expensive

The 3DCenter index, which tracks prices in German shops listed on the Geizhals price comparison site, is the most complete European benchmark. This is how DDR5 has moved, taking July 2025 as 100:

• December 2025: 193, almost double in five months.

• February 2026: first peak, at around 440.

• March: 408, the only drop so far (−7.2%).

• April to June: between 410 and 419.

• August: 486.

• September: 544.

• October: 559.

High capacities are the hardest to find. On 17 October PC Games Hardware put the cheapest 64 GB kit (Crucial Pro DDR5-5600) at €799, with a wait of around four weeks; the cheapest offer available for immediate delivery cost €1,078.54. In France, HardwareCooking noted on 21 October that 32 GB DDR5-6000 kits were already approaching €500.

DDR4 is no longer the cheap option it was

For months, DDR4 was the refuge for anyone who didn't want to pay for DDR5. Not so much any more: according to HardZone (13 October), DDR4 has gone up 24% in three months, compared with 20% for DDR5, and a Barclays report cited by the outlet says the contract price of its chips rose another 4% in October. On the 3DCenter index it went from 326 to 388 between September and October, 19% in a single month. HardZone gives an example: a 16 GB (2 × 8 GB) Patriot Viper Steel DDR4 kit that cost €50.16 in mid-2025 was selling for €139.99 in October, and that was with a 25% discount.

Two things are at play: less DDR4 is being made, and more users want it because they'd rather upgrade their current PC than move to DDR5. Even so, it still costs less per gigabyte. Using the lowest prices published by PC Games Hardware on 17 October in Germany, a 32 GB DDR4-3200 kit worked out at around €7.50 per GB, against around €14 per GB for DDR5-6000.

SSDs: rising less, but still rising

The NAND memory in SSDs is following a similar path with a bit of a lag. TrendForce expects its contract price to rise by 15–20% in the fourth quarter, more than the 10–15% forecast for the third, driven by enterprise SSDs; for PC drives the increases are more contained. In German shops, 3DCenter's SSD index stood at 247 in October (225 in September), and per terabyte the 4 TB models offered the best value. You'll find options in our storage section.

RAM prices in 2026 and 2027: what analysts expect

Nobody expects memory to get cheaper this year. Forecasts agree that 2027 will still be a year of shortages but differ on when relief will come:

• TrendForce (30 September): DRAM supply will remain tight in 2027 and PC memory supply could shrink. In its 2027 outlook it adds that new fabs won't start to make a difference until the second half of 2027 and that their big contribution will come in 2028.

• Micron (30 September): expects supply to be “much tighter” in 2027 and 2028 than in 2026 and says it can't see a clear date for supply and demand to balance out.

• Samsung: warned in July that the shortage could last until 2028.

• Gartner (April): doesn't expect significant price drops until late 2027.

• Barclays, according to HardZone: the crisis could drag on until 2028.

• Bernstein (estimate circulated in July): the price per GB of DRAM would rise another 43% in 2027 and fall 53% in 2028, although it would still be double its pre-crisis level.

• ADATA, a module manufacturer: its chairman, Chen Li-bai, went as far as saying the shortage will last another ten years. It's the most pessimistic forecast.

The safest assumption is high prices throughout 2027 and a possible drop in 2028, which is unlikely to bring memory back to 2025 levels.

What could bring the drop forward

• New fabs: SK hynix, Samsung and Micron have fabs under construction that will start producing from 2027 onwards.

• Weaker consumer demand: worldwide PC shipments fell 20.1% in the third quarter according to IDC, and 22.4% according to Gartner. TrendForce acknowledges that many customers have hit their price ceiling.

• SSDs before RAM: TrendForce believes NAND supply will loosen in the second half of 2027, which would push SSD prices down. Micron, on the other hand, expects it to stay scarce as well.

• A slowdown in AI investment: TrendForce warns that some cloud providers already have negative free cash flow; if they cut back on purchases, more memory would become available.

What could delay it

• More HBM: TrendForce expects its contract price to multiply in 2027, which encourages manufacturers to devote more wafers to it.

• Long-term contracts that leave output sold before it has even been made.

• New Intel and AMD platforms in 2027, which TrendForce lists among the drivers of demand.

How to buy RAM now without overpaying

16 or 32 GB of RAM?

32 GB across two modules is still the ideal amount for a gaming PC that has to last for years, but at current prices 16 GB (2 × 8 GB) is a reasonable option if you mostly play competitive titles or your budget is tight. The official requirements published on Steam help you decide:

• Counter-Strike 2 asks for 8 GB minimum.

• Monster Hunter Wilds asks for 16 GB in both its minimum and recommended requirements.

• [Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024](/es/juegos/flight-simulator-2024) asks for 16 GB minimum and recommends 32 GB.

If you play simulators or modded open worlds, stream or edit video, go for 32 GB. Avoid fitting a single module: with two, the memory runs in dual channel and performs better. And think ahead to upgrades: with DDR5, going from two to four modules usually means lowering the speed, so it's better to buy 2 × 16 GB now than 2 × 8 GB today and another 2 × 8 GB later. You'll find kits in both capacities in our RAM section.

Reuse the memory you already have

• DDR4 and DDR5 aren't compatible with each other: each motherboard supports only one type, and the modules don't fit in the other type's slots.

• If you have an AM4 PC with DDR4, changing the processor and graphics card while keeping the memory is the cheapest upgrade. On 25 June AMD relaunched the Ryzen 7 5800X3D in a 10th anniversary edition, with a recommended price of $349.

• If you have a 12th to 14th gen Intel, check your manual to see whether your motherboard is DDR4 or DDR5: there are models of both types.

• If you already have DDR5 on an AM5 motherboard, you can change just the processor: AMD will support the AM5 socket until 2029.

• Before reusing it, enable the EXPO or XMP profile in the BIOS and run a test such as MemTest86 to rule out errors.

AM4 with DDR4 or AM5 with DDR5

Using the lowest prices from 17 October in Germany (PC Games Hardware), 32 GB of DDR4-3200 cost €208 less than 32 GB of DDR5-6000: €239 against €447. It's a significant difference, but you have to look at the whole picture:

• AM4 is a platform at the end of the road: the relaunched 5800X3D is the same chip from 2022 and there won't be any new generations. It makes sense if you already have it or if your budget is very tight.

• AM5 only uses DDR5 and will be supported until 2029, so you'll be able to change processor without touching the motherboard or memory. For a new system it's usually the best investment, even if you start with 16 GB. You can compare models in motherboards.

• Intel Core Ultra 200S (LGA 1851 socket) also works with DDR5 only.

Buy now or wait?

• If you need the PC now, buy it. Forecasts point to further rises this quarter and to a 2027 with little supply.

• If your current system does the job, holding on is reasonable, especially if you're planning to switch platforms.

• Don't buy extra memory in case prices keep rising: buy what you're actually going to use.

• Check availability, not just the lowest listed price: in the 64 GB kit example, the difference from the unit available straight away was almost €280.

• Don't overpay for speed: on AM5, a DDR5-6000 kit with CL30–CL36 latency is plenty for gaming. On 17 October in Germany, the cheapest 32 GB DDR5-6000 CL28 kit cost €493, €46 more than the cheapest one at that speed.

• Balance your budget: don't cut back on the graphics card to pay for more RAM; it's the part with the biggest impact on FPS.

Buying in Andorra

The shortage is global, but taxes aren't. Andorra applies IGI, with a standard rate of 4.5%, compared with 21% VAT in Spain or 20% VAT in France. We explain it, along with customs and the warranty, in our guide to buying a PC in Andorra.

Build your PC with MEGA SYSTEM in Andorra

With memory prices changing every week, a well-thought-out configuration saves you more than any deal. At MEGA SYSTEM we build every gaming PC by hand in Escaldes-Engordany, put it through 24 hours of testing before delivery and give it a 3-year warranty, with repairs in our own workshop. You can choose every part in the PC configurator and ask us via chat or the contact form whether it's worth reusing your memory: a real person replies, not a bot. You can also drop into our shop at Av. Carlemany, 38, Monday to Saturday, 10am–1.30pm and 4pm–8.30pm. We deliver within 24 hours to every parish in Andorra, and in-store collection is free.

Frequently asked questions

Why is RAM so expensive in 2026?

Because Samsung, SK hynix and Micron are devoting more and more of their output to HBM memory for AI and to data centre servers, which pay more and sign multi-year contracts. HBM uses around three times as many wafers per gigabyte as DDR5, so there's less memory left for PCs.

When will RAM prices come down?

Not before late 2027, according to most forecasts. TrendForce expects further rises in the fourth quarter of 2026 and shortages in 2027; Gartner doesn't see significant drops until late 2027, and Samsung and Barclays talk about 2028.

Is DDR4 still cheaper than DDR5?

Per gigabyte, yes: around €7.50 against around €14 in Germany as of 17 October 2026. But it's now the one rising fastest, because less and less of it is being made. It's only worth it if you already have a DDR4 motherboard.

Is 16 GB of RAM enough for gaming in 2026?

For competitive games and many current titles, yes, as long as it's in two modules. For simulators, demanding open worlds, streaming or editing, 32 GB is the better choice.

Are SSDs going up too?

Yes. TrendForce expects the contract price of NAND memory to rise by 15–20% in the fourth quarter of 2026. For 2027 it expects supply to loosen in the second half of the year, earlier than DRAM supply.