If you have checked RAM prices lately and thought the shop added an extra zero by mistake, we bring bad news: they didn't. In 2026 RAM is extremely expensive worldwide, and it is not your local shop speculating. The cause is real, it is global and it is written with two letters: AI.
The cause: your modules compete with AI data centres
The memory in your PC (DDR4 or DDR5) and the HBM memory inside AI graphics cards come out of the same factories: three giants (Samsung, SK Hynix and Micron) make almost all the memory on the planet.
Data centres are buying memory at a massive scale to train and serve AI models, with multi-year supply contracts. And here is the problem: making HBM memory for AI carries a much higher margin than making the DDR for your desktop. So factories devote a growing share of their wafers to HBM and less to conventional memory. Less supply with the same demand means only one thing: sky-high prices.
DDR4 has it even worse: it is being phased out and less of it is made every year, so upgrading an old machine costs proportionally more than it did a couple of years ago.
How much more expensive are we talking?
No confusing charts: in 2026 it is common to see modules at double or triple what they cost a couple of years ago, and prices change week by week. If you are going to build a custom PC, RAM has become one of the budget items to watch most closely, something that didn't happen two years ago.
When will prices come down?
The honest answer is that nobody knows for sure. Industry forecasts point to the tightness lasting through 2027, until more factories come online, and building a chip factory takes years, not months. Practical takeaway: don't count on prices returning to what they were any time soon, and distrust anyone who promises you exact dates.
What to do if you need memory now
- Buy only what you need. For office work, browsing, online classes and 1080p gaming, 16 GB is still enough in 2026. Only go to 32 GB if you edit video, run virtual machines or work with software that genuinely eats memory.
- Upgrading your current machine usually pays off more than buying a new one, even at high prices: one module hurts less than a whole PC. At our workshop in Málaga we confirm free of charge which memory your motherboard accepts before you spend a euro.
- Be careful upgrading DDR4 blindly: if your board is old and the discontinued module costs almost as much as jumping to a current platform, sometimes renewing is the better move. We'll look at it with you, no strings attached.
- Don't let RAM distract you from the rest: a machine with an SSD and a clean system performs better with 16 GB than a cluttered one with 32. If you are budgeting for a new build, take a look at how much a gaming PC build costs in 2026 to see the full budget with real prices.
Need to add memory or build a machine without overpaying? Call us on +34 641 00 63 61 (Monday to Friday, 9:30-20:30), message us on WhatsApp or tell us your case through the contact form and we'll tell you what is genuinely worth it for you.