- Amazon has a deal on a 32GB DDR5 RAM kit
- That’s $55 off (with 14% off)
- But the reduced price is actually 2.5 times more expensive than this RAM was just four months ago, which makes it clear how bad things have gotten
If you wanted a quick overview of how bad the RAM price crisis has become, a new offering at a major retailer underscores this pretty effectively.
At Amazon in the US, you can see that there is a flash deal (a price reduction for a limited time) on a Corsair Vengeance DDR5 RAM kit consisting of two 16GB memory modules (running at 6000MHz).
It should be noted that the 32GB piece of memory – which will look good on any everyday or gaming PC – now costs $345 in said deal, which is a significant $55 discount (14% off) from the stated list price of $400.
While that might sound like a half-decent deal at first glance, the truth behind the asking price is that back in September 2025, this RAM was less than half the price it is today – once discounted. In fact, this current deal on a solid DDR5 RAM kit is 2.5 times the price it was just four months ago.
How’s that for a good deal? Well, through that lens it’s obviously not a bargain, but compared to the rest of the RAM landscape, it’s unfortunately about as good as it gets.
Even a DDR4 (latest generation) 32GB RAM kit will set you back $240 (at least) on Amazon at the moment (stick to known brands I’d advise rather than crappy memory products). As we have seen recently, the older memory standard that is also becoming much more expensive is a recent unfortunate trend.
Analysis: a warning to potential buyers
How did we get here? The price of system memory has increased primarily thanks to a combination of two factors. First, the exploding popularity of AI in all its various forms has led to a huge demand for RAM to power this (in data centers where AI workloads are handled). It’s not just system RAM, but also video RAM (graphics cards are also heavily involved in that processing).
What has made this worse is that memory makers have previously cut back on chip production when there was a glut of supply – meaning this increase in demand has been much harder to manage. RAM and also storage, especially with high-end SSDs (these drives all use memory chips as well), have therefore seen huge price increases as an unprecedented level of demand has been met with meager levels of supply.
The other problem here is that correcting these chip stock levels is not an easy process, as memory manufacturers cannot conjure up extra production (large factories or fabs as they are known) to exist overnight. Bringing additional manufacturing capacity online is a long-term task, and the thinking is that even if new makes are made, they won’t be in action and have a meaningful impact on the supply situation until 2028.
What this means, unfortunately, is that this year, and probably 2027 as well, will be very difficult times for RAM supply, and consumers will certainly get the short end of the stick (PC manufacturers and other mass buyers, of course including these data centers, are the priority). There are many predictions that RAM price increases will get worse before they get better or stabilize.
So do I suggest you buy this Amazon deal? I can’t make that call for you, and honestly, it still feels bad to be forced to drop that much money on 32GB of RAM for your PC. On the other hand, as mentioned, this deal is as good as it gets (from what I can see at the time of writing for a decent DDR5 kit), and in a year’s time $345 might look like a bargain in the US (and so might the equivalent deals in your region right now).
But that said, if you’re not in desperate need of RAM in the near future and don’t plan on building a PC for some time, I’d be tempted to hold off until prices start to normalize – which might happen sooner than the experts think. As long as your computer will do it for some time, patience is probably still the best approach, and I wouldn’t rush out to buy memory myself.
Storage, on the other hand, is probably a different matter. You can still get relatively palatable prices on lower-end SSDs, and if you think you might need one in the near future, I’d really seriously consider buying now.
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