The memory price crisis has come at my least favourite time: a time when it inconveniences me. You can have your early 2025 GPU shortage, that’s fine. That didn’t affect me, but this does, therefore it’s bad. That’s a valid argument, trust me, I did Logic 101.
A few months ago, I considered upgrading my entire build but put it off because the start of a new GPU generation isn’t my favourite time to upgrade. So, I came up with a cunning plan: I would wait until next year, when hopefully RTX 50-series Super cards launch, and then I’d pounce. I’d also have the benefit of cheaper prices across the board by then, too.
I can hear you snickering from here. “Cheaper prices,” I know. I’ve been foiled by the tumultuous tides of today’s AI-first tech industry and the resultant memory shortage.
### My Current Build
For those wondering, my current build consists of an RTX 3060 Ti, Core i5 12600KF, and 32 GB of DDR4-3200 RAM. That’s DDR4 RAM rated at 3200 MT/s, but it really cannot hit those speeds, at least not paired with my Gigabyte Z690 UD DDR4 motherboard. 2600 MT/s seems to be the highest speed it can achieve.
Earlier this year, I debated upgrading the CPU and RAM first and waiting to upgrade the GPU. But apart from the fact that upgrading everything all at once just feels better, I also thought I was being smart by waiting for prices to drop even lower.
### Price Trends: DDR5 and SSDs
DDR5 had been dropping in price for a while, as had SSDs. However, both are now increasing in price thanks to high demand driven by AI. I had hoped to upgrade to a 32 GB DDR5-6000 kit or better, preferably with CAS latency of CL32 or CL30. On that front, prices mostly hover around £175–£200 right now.
I managed to spot a Biwin 6400 MT/s CL32 kit for £150 on Amazon, but that’s more the exception than the rule. For comparison, a 32 GB Corsair Vengeance DDR5-6000 CL32 kit is currently £190 on Amazon. Consider this: it was just £81 back in June and remained around £90 for most of the year before that.
It’s no exaggeration to say that prices have literally doubled—and the scary thing is, it doesn’t look like the increases are done yet.
We’ve covered this extensively over the last few weeks; you can check out my recent compendium and explanations if you want to know more.
### Balancing Other Component Prices
To be clear, it’s not a complete catastrophe for me or others who have been putting off upgrading for a while, because motherboard and CPU prices are still lower than they were.
For example, I was considering the AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D. It was about £420 at the start of the year and is currently on sale for £360 on Amazon. I’d likely pair it with the best budget AM5 motherboard, the Asus TUF Gaming B650 Plus WiFi, which is currently £155 on Amazon, down from around £170.
So, the approximate £80–£90 saving on those two components just about cancels out the doubled memory price, for now.
### When Should You Pull the Trigger?
And that’s the real question, isn’t it? How long should one wait before pulling the trigger? With DDR5 memory prices rising rapidly, it certainly seems like they’ll outpace other falling prices.
If you look at the price history chart for the B650 Plus WiFi motherboard, you’ll notice its price has been creeping back up, too. Nothing’s guaranteed.
### Understanding the DRAM Shortage
It’s important to understand that this isn’t just a RAM shortage, but a DRAM shortage. DRAM is the actual memory chips used on DIMMs, but it’s also the memory integrated into other components like GPUs.
Even if there isn’t a high demand specifically for GDDR memory, the high demand for DDR memory means memory manufacturers might divert production away from graphics memory. That’s why there’s a recent rumor that RTX 50-series Super cards won’t even see the light of day.
### RTX 50-Series Super Cards: What to Expect?
Nvidia almost certainly won’t let higher prices for GDDR7 memory stop them, so this rumor doesn’t seem very likely to bear out. However, what does seem likely—according to our expert Nick—is that RTX 50-series Super cards will be more expensive than originally intended.
This means I’ll have to fork over extra for my RTX Super card, too.
### What’s Next for Me?
At this rate, I think I’ll wait until the RTX 60-series. Maybe you’ll catch me in a few years still rocking the RTX 3060 Ti—just like those legends still rocking a GTX 980 today.
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Whether you’re holding out for the next big GPU launch or juggling the fluctuating prices of memory and components, the current market certainly keeps upgrading plans interesting. Stay tuned for more updates as the situation evolves.
https://www.pcgamer.com/hardware/memory/the-memory-price-crisis-has-foiled-my-penny-pinching-patience-and-made-me-regret-not-upgrading-my-gaming-pc-sooner/