Is RAM the new Bitcoin? DDR4 memory prices are rising so fast, some tracker graphs are running out of space - and I fear 2026 could well see a 10x price rise

Date:
Wed, 07 Jan 2026 21:35:00 +0000

Description:
Is RAM the new Bitcoin? DDR4 prices jump from under $100 to several hundred dollars in a matter of months and the worrying trend shows no signs of slowing.

FULL STORY ======================================================================RAM prices are skyrocketing after a long period of relative stability DDR4 64GB kits have climbed from near $150 to around $400 to $600 DDR4 and DDR5 kits show massive increases across multiple capacities

RAM prices have been climbing steadily at a pace thats becoming incredibly difficult to ignore - and while some of the blame for the spike can be laid
at the door of memory giants SK Hynix, Samsung, and Micron prioritizing the needs of hyperscalers and AI firms over consumers, the situation is more complicated than that, as I wrote about recently .

If youre hoping to build a new PC, or upgrade an existing one, youll need to budget a lot more for the RAM than you were likely bargaining for, especially if you need DDR4.

Memory trend charts from PCPartPicker show how much has changed in a relatively short time. For much of 2025, DDR4 pricing was largely stable. A typical 32GB DDR4 kit typically hovered around $70 to $90, depending on speed and brand. (Image credit: PCPartPicker) Sky high prices

Fast forward to today, and recent tracker data shows many 2x16GB DDR4 kits
now pushing past $150, with higher priced listings edging toward or above $200.

The shift is far more pronounced at higher capacities. DDR4 2x32GB kits that spent much of the timeline averaging around $120 to $150 have climbed dramatically, with current averages moving into the $350 to $400 range.

Individual listings at the top end are now close to $600.

Those increases are large enough that older price history is being visually compressed on some of PCPartPicker's graphs.

Long flat stretches of relatively stable pricing have been squeezed to accommodate the rapid rise near the right edge.

DDR5 pricing is also moving higher, although that curve appears slightly less abrupt.

Kits that previously averaged around $150 are now more commonly tracked in
the $250 to $300 range.

This ongoing pricing increase will inevitably alter how memory fits into overall system budgets for many builders. RAM is no longer a predictable purchase that can be treated as a minor line item.

If the current direction holds, memory could soon rival CPUs and GPUs as one of the largest single costs in a build. That would have been difficult to imagine this time a year ago.

Not all memory related components are being affected in the same way. NAND based storage pricing shows far less movement for now at least.

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Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/pro/is-ram-the-new-bitcoin-ddr4-memory-prices-are-ri sing-so-fast-some-tracker-graphs-are-running-out-of-space-and-i-fear-2026-coul d-well-see-a-10x-price-rise


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