Soaring DDR5 memory prices are affecting the hardware market significantly, making it impossible to build or upgrade PCs.
Akihabara Price Survey Reveals Another Sharp Increase in DDR5 Memory Prices With Some Kits Witnessing Over 60% Price Increase Since Last Month
DDR5 RAM prices have gone up drastically in the last few months. Every week or so, we see most DDR5 RAM kits skyrocketing in price, and this is universal across all regions. In Japan, the latest price survey from AKIBA PC Hotline revealed that the new price hike has made PC building more difficult than ever. At around 4-5X higher prices, most DDR5 kits were already unaffordable, but now they have seen another sharp rise of up to 62% compared to last month.
According to the October 17-24 survey of various retailers at Akihabara, a Corsair DDR5-600 64 GB x2 RAM (128 GB) kit is now listed at a whopping 514,800 Yen, which is equivalent to over US$3,200. That’s a staggering increase of 197,820 Yen vs. the previously recorded price on September 12. Last month, the price was 316,980 Yenor US$2000, but it got a whopping hike of 62.4%.
When you compare the current listing price of this particular kit with what it was last year, you would see a drastic difference. Last year it was selling for just 59,800 Yenor US$378, meaning the latest hike brought its selling price up by approximately 761%in just over a year. At $3,200, it was possible to build an RTX 5090 or at least an RTX 5080-based gaming PC last year, but a 128 GB DDR5 memory kit now costs the equivalent.
Every capacity seems to be affected, including the Crucial DDR5-5600 64 GB x2 (128 GB) kit, which is now priced at 399,980 Yenor US$2,532. This kit got a smaller hike compared to the Corsair one, but some retailers have already started to push the prices into the 440,000 Yenrange. As you can see in the above pic, a vendor lists the Crucial SO-DIMM memory kits at a whopping 337,480 Yenand 439,800 Yenfor 96 GB and 128 GB DDR5 kits, respectively.
The mainstream DDR5 kits, such as the Crucial DDR5-6400 32 GB x2 kit, have now gone up by around 4,000 Yen and now cost 139,980 Yenor US$886, while the DDR5-5600 kit now sits at 104,980 Yenor US$665. The smaller 16 GB x2 DDR5-6400 and DDR5-6000 configurations have witnessed a price hike of 5,820 Yenand 4,010 Yen,respectively.
Such ridiculous price hikes make upgrading to DDR5 platforms totally senseless, and unless you already own a good DDR5 RAM capacity, it’s better to keep your DDR4 platform for a while.
About the author: Sarfraz Khan is a hardware reporter with a focus on PC components and the builder community. With years of experience writing about PC hardware and laptops, his work has been featured on several reputable technology publications.
Sarfraz’s hands-on experience is demonstrated through his first-person accounts of using and comparing different hardware configurations, providing practical and relatable insights for everyday users. His technical analysis is respected by peers in the enthusiast community and has been cited by specialized hardware sites such as Germany’s Igor’s Lab.
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