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PC Components 2. RAM 3. DRAM 4. DDR5 An entire PS5 now costs less than 64GB of DDR5 memory, even after a discount -- simple memory kit jumps to $600 due to DRAM shortage, and it's expected to get worse into 2026 News By Hassam Nasir published 24 November 2025 You can spend $50 more to get an entire PS5 Pro. * * * * * * * Comments (8) When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here's how it works. G.Skill Trident Z5 Neo RGB DDR5-6000 C26 (Image credit: Tom's Hardware) Thanks to the AI boom devouring the majority of the world's memory and storage supply, end-consumers are now facing increasingly inflated prices for common components. DDR5 RAM, a necessity for building current-gen Intel or AMD systems, has now reached record highs in terms of pricing; a 64 GB kit of G.Skill's Trident Z5 Neo 6000 MT/s RAM is listed at $599.99 on Newegg right now -- that's $200 more than a PS5 Slim or a Microsoft Xbox Series S, and just $50 shy off an entire PS5 Pro at the moment. Swipe to scroll horizontally G.Skill's Trident Z5 Neo RAM Price Versus Sony PlayStation 5 and Microsoft Xbox Series Consoles G.SKILL Trident Z5 Neo RGB ($599 in Black Friday sale, with $40 Series 64GB DDR5 6000 (PC5 $599 off and additional $20 off via code 48000) BFE2458) Sony PlayStation 5 Pro $649 Row 1 - Cell 2 Sony PlayStation 5 Digital $399 Row 2 - Cell 2 Sony PlayStation 5 Slim $449 Disc Row 3 - Cell 2 Microsoft Xbox Series S $399 Row 4 - Cell 2 Microsoft Xbox Series X 1TB $569 Row 5 - Cell 2 Digital Edition That $600 price tag has a 6% discount already applied to its original $640 ask, as part of a Black Friday deal. For context, a more exclusive 64 GB limited edition Corsair Dominator Titanium kit cost only $349 when we reviewed it a few months ago. Earlier this year, we posted about DDR5 deals on Prime Day where the standard edition of the same kit was just $299, and you could get other comparable 64 GB kits for as low as $140. A quick glance at price tracking data, and G.Skill's Trident Z5 Neo kit has regularly sat at $205-$220 for the past few months, and it was only in late October that it started to pick up steam. From September 20th when it was listed at $220, to $640 now. In just 2 months we've witnessed an astounding ~190% surge. Right as this particular Trident Z5 Neo kit began to skyrocket in price was when the industry first started to pick up on the affects of the AI crunch. A few days later we published our initial coverage on DDR5 RAM price hikes; from there, the situation has only worsened to reach worrying levels. NAND Flash pricing decline (Image credit: Micron) Insane mark-up aside, the kit itself is one of the best on the market, recommend as the top pick for DDR5 memory in our roundup. Unfortunately, it seems like high prices are going to be the story going forward. The surge in demand for AI projects will see production lines will prioritizing serving AI clients, leaving consumers to pay through the nose or make the best of what they have. Experts speculate that both DRAM and NAND constraints will become normal throughout 2026 as Big Tech looks to pursue AGI. In the meantime, hard drives are vanishing from store shelves to the point where microSD cards are serving as a feasible replacement for them. Large-capacity nearline HDDs are backordered for 2 years, as a result of which QLC SSDs are now being swept up at alarming rates. Many distributors are even selling memory and motherboards bundled together to combat the global shortage. Even Valve's upcoming Steam Machine will end up costing more than expected due to the production window of the device aligning with the DRAM crisis. That being said, memory has almost always lived in a rollercoaster cycle, with manufacturers oversupplying for a couple of years, then undersupplying for the next few. Looking at it optimistically, you're probably going to find DDR5 at bargain prices again in 2027. Stay On the Cutting Edge: Get the Tom's Hardware Newsletter Get Tom's Hardware's best news and in-depth reviews, straight to your inbox. [ ][ ]Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands[ ]Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors[Sign me up] By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. Google Preferred Source Follow Tom's Hardware on Google News, or add us as a preferred source , to get our latest news, analysis, & reviews in your feeds. See all comments (8) Hassam Nasir Hassam Nasir Social Links Navigation Contributing Writer Hassam Nasir is a die-hard hardware enthusiast with years of experience as a tech editor and writer, focusing on detailed CPU comparisons and general hardware news. When he's not working, you'll find him bending tubes for his ever-evolving custom water-loop gaming rig or benchmarking the latest CPUs and GPUs just for fun. [ ] 8 Comments Comment from the forums * vanadiel007 Initially I did not believe this, but then I went looking and wow. Memory kit I got a month ago is now 300% more! I guess this is how AI is generating money: increasing the prices of electronics. Reply * kerberos_20 mkay, so we are looking now on high end side why not brag abot 128GB sticks at only 1.5k price point? https://www.corsair.com/us/en/p/memory/CMH128GX5M2B6400C42/ vengeance-rgb-128gb-2x64gb-ddr5-dram-6400mts-cl42-intel-xmp-memory-kit-cmh128gx5m2b6400c42 Reply * thestryker kerberos_20 said: mkay, so we are looking now on high end side why not brag abot 128GB sticks at only 1.5k price point? https://www.corsair.com/us/en/p/memory/CMH128GX5M2B6400C42/ vengeance-rgb-128gb-2x64gb-ddr5-dram-6400mts-cl42-intel-xmp-memory-kit-cmh128gx5m2b6400c42 First of all those are 64GB modules and secondly that kit debuted in June at less than $400. Reply * yahrightthere Want prices to come down, stop buying it, just say no, that includes consumer and enterprise. See who blinks first. Reply * mikethepoor yahrightthere said: Want prices to come down, stop buying it, just say no, that includes consumer and enterprise. See who blinks first. That's honestly what manufacturers want, is for consumers to stop buying so they can focus on the much more lucrative enterprise market. Same thing happened to GPUs. Reply * yahrightthere mikethepoor said: That's honestly what manufacturers want, is for consumers to stop buying so they can focus on the much more lucrative enterprise market. Same thing happened to GPUs. I did include enterprise, they are part of the equation. If they don't, talking for myself, I don't need their over valued high priced tech items in my life. Reply * thestryker yahrightthere said: I did include enterprise, they are part of the equation. If they don't, talking for myself, I don't need their over valued high priced tech items in my life. Generally speaking enterprise can't just stop buying, and here they're the driver of the current costs to begin with. They need it to make more money so the increased costs are part of doing business as long as that money they're making is higher. Reply * teeejay94 Picked a Corsair Vengeance DDR5 48GB 7000 kit on ebay for $300 Canadian just a month or so now ago, just ordered a new 1300W Lian Li PSU on Friday and still waiting for the darn thing. That's what I get for paying the extra shipping $$ lol Reply * View All 8 Comments Show more comments Tom's Hardware is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site. [mednnv697g] Add as a preferred source on Google * Terms and conditions * Contact Future's experts * Privacy policy * Cookies policy * Accessibility Statement * Advertise with us * About us * Coupons * Careers (c) Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.