We may earn a commission when you buy through links on this site, at no extra cost to you. Learn more

RAM prices are still high: how to upgrade without overpaying

By ·

A year into the memory shortage, DDR5 and DDR4 kits still cost far more than they did in 2025. Here's why, and how to make your money go further.

If you've priced up a PC recently, you'll have noticed that memory has become one of the most expensive parts of the build. Popular 32GB DDR5 kits that sold for under £100 in the summer of 2025 have cost several times that at points over the past year, and prices remain well above where they were.

Why is memory so expensive?

The short answer is AI. The handful of companies that make memory chips have shifted production towards high-bandwidth memory (HBM) and server memory for AI data centres, which is far more profitable. That leaves less capacity for the memory that goes into PCs, laptops, graphics cards and phones. Industry forecasters expect supply to stay tight well into 2027.

How to spend less

**Buy what you need, not what you might need.** 32GB is plenty for gaming and everyday work. 64GB is only worth it for heavy video editing, large virtual machines or similar.

**Look at 16GB for a basic PC.** For browsing, office work and light gaming, 16GB still does the job, and you can add another pair later if your motherboard has four slots.

RAM prices are still high: how to upgrade without overpaying

**Consider keeping your DDR4.** If you have an AM4 or older Intel system, upgrading the processor rather than the whole platform lets you keep your existing memory. AMD's returning Ryzen 7 5800X3D is designed for exactly this.

**Prices move quickly.** Retailers' prices vary and short-lived discounts come and go, so check a few times before you buy, and don't assume the most famous brand is the best value: our memory buying guide includes several reliable kits from less well-known names.

**Speed matters less than capacity.** For a modern AMD system, DDR5-6000 is the sweet spot; paying extra for faster memory makes little difference in games.

Products in this story

More news

22 Oct 2026 NVIDIA denies reports that the RTX 5090 is being discontinued Reports claimed NVIDIA was winding down production of its flagship graphics card. NVIDIA says that isn't the case, but graphics card prices remain under pressure. 21 Oct 2026 AMD is bringing back the Ryzen 7 5800X3D for AM4 owners The 2022 gaming favourite is being re-released, giving owners of older AM4 systems a drop-in upgrade at a time when new memory is expensive. 19 Oct 2026 AMD promises a lighter version of FSR 4 for gaming handhelds before 2027 AMD's AI-powered upscaling has so far required a Radeon RX 9000 graphics card. A slimmed-down version is on the way for handheld PCs.