DDR5 memory prices continue to rise, and South Korean markets are seeing single-stick modules hitting $500, and entry-level kits priced even higher.
RAM Apocalypse: South Korean Vendors Listing Single-Stick DDR5 DIMMs At Almost $300 For 16 GB, $500 For 32 GB, Entry-Tier Kits Nearing $600
Memory prices are out of control and will continue to rise in the coming months as demand continues to grow from the AI segment. Even those who are validating and packaging memory for AI clients have now started to announce price hikes due to a large influx of orders. Meanwhile, the consumer memory market continues to get crushed.
The South Korean market is one that has been indicative of what consumers can expect in terms of memory prices. They were the first regional markets to see price hikes when the crisis started, and are continuously getting updated with even higher costs for DDR5 memory.
More recent listings from South Korean vendors show that memory prices are going to get even higher. As per the latest listing, a 16 GB DDR5-5600 (CL46) memory module (not a memory kit) is listed for close to 400,000 KRW (Korean Won). This translates to roughy $270-$300 US. The 32 GB DDR5-5600 (CL46) kits are priced anywhere from 680,000 to 780,000 KRW, converting to $450-$500 US.
Those users who want to purchase a decent entry-level memory kit, well, the current Intel XMP and AMD EXPO options are going from 730,000 KRW to 926,000 KRW, which translates to roughly $500-$650 US. The kits aren't even high-end, and people were paying much less than this for a 7000-8000 MT/s 64 GB kit just a few months back.
As of right now, the US market still has many 16 GB memory modules retailing for $165-$175 US, while 32 GB memory modules are being sold for close to $300-$400 US. Given the prices that we are seeing in the Korean and Taiwanese markets, we expect the US prices to explode within a month.
Copy of DDR5 Memory Prices (Amazon)
| Memory Kit | Speed | Prices (12/5/2025) | Prices (1/12/2026) | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 32 GB (2x16GB) | DDR5-6400 | $387.90 | $547.90 | +41.2% |
| 48 GB (2x24GB) | DDR5-6400 | $449.99 | $614.99 | +36.6% |
| 64 GB (2x32 GB) | DDR5-5600 | $509.99 | $648.99 | +27.2% |
| 96 GB (2x48GB) | DDR5-6400 | $789.88 | $1088.78 | +37.8% |
| 128 GB (2x64GB) | DDR5-5600 | $1279.99 | $1548.99 | +21.0% |
| 192 GB (4x48GB) | DDR5-4800 | $3088.69 | $3737.32 | +21.0% |
DDR5 Memory Prices (Newegg)
| Memory Kit | Speed | Prices (12/5/2025) | Prices (1/12/2026) | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 GB (2x8GB) | DDR5-5200 | $179.99 | $229.99 | +27.7% |
| 32 GB (2x16GB) | DDR5-5600 | $317.99 | $399.99 | +25.7% |
| 48 GB (2x24GB) | DDR5-5600 | $428.34 | $449.99 | +5.05% |
| 64 GB (2x32 GB) | DDR5-5600 | $497.25 | $636.99 | +28.1% |
| 96 GB (2x48GB) | DDR5-6400 | $849.42 | $1219.14 | +43.5% |
| 128 GB (2x64GB) | DDR5-5600 | $1184.99 | $1299.99 | +9.70% |
| 192 GB (4x48GB) | DDR5-6000 | $1999.99 | $3000+ | +50% |
Based on the timeline of US retailers, within a month, most memory is now priced 30% higher than what they were selling before. This 30% average hike is in line with what industry sources are expecting, but this is only for January. Moving forward, we will continue to see what the industry is calling "Incremental steps" in price adjustments.
We even reported how DDR5 memory kits are now being used to purchase actual real estate in Shanghai, China. The higher-end workstation and server-oriented ECC RDIMM or OC RDIMM kits are priced even higher, with prices ranging from $5000 and over $8000 US.
What makes things worse is that prices arent' settling at all, and the worst is yet to come from what we are hearing. So, memory is going to be the most expensive PC component that consumers will have to pay for in the near future, and that is if other components don't catch up in prices, since they are also affected by the supply shortages.
About the author: A Software Engineer by training and a PC enthusiast by passion, Hassan Mujtaba serves as Wccftech's Senior Editor for hardware section. With years of experience in the industry, he specializes in deep-dive technical analysis of next-generation CPU and GPU architectures, motherboards, and cooling solutions. His work involves not only breaking news on upcoming technologies but also extensive hands-on reviews and benchmarking.
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