DDR4 RAM is still falling slightly in price, but the price drop for DDR5 is serious – from a completely different starting point. Since the start of Intel Alder Lake and the first few weeks with enormous delivery problems, there has been movement on the market: DDR5 now starts at less than 5 euros per gigabyte.
Half a year ago, DDR5 looked really bleak. Unavailable listings in retail and price surcharges at the level of graphics cards were the order of the day at the time. If you are lucky, 32 GB will cost around 470 euros at the end of 2021 (almost 15 euros per GB). However, a lot has happened since then.
DDR5 prices continue to fall significantly
There are currently 200 DDR5 products in the ComputerBase price comparison that can be delivered directly from stock. The entry-level prices are now 154 euros for 32 GB DDR4-4800, which are offered as a dual-channel kit. In the last four weeks alone, this kit has fallen again by more than 20 percent. In this best-case scenario, the gigabyte no longer costs 5 euros, paving the way for future platforms that rely on the memory standard, above all AMD Raphael aka Ryzen 7000 and Intel Raptor Lake as a refresh of Alder Lake.
< figure class="image__wrap" style="max-width:554px">
The same applies to SO-DIMM, which is used in small PCs, but especially in notebooks. There are also 8 GB modules in this category, while U-DIMMs almost only come with 16 GB per module or larger, so that individual modules as DDR4 SO-DIMMs with 4,800 MT/s are available from 42 euros. In percentage terms, this is still a good deal away from DDR4-3200 as an 8 GB SO-DIMM module for just under 30 euros, but in absolute terms the difference is only around 12 euros. Extrapolated to an entire platform such as a notebook, the memory sticks are no longer an expensive problem in June 2022.
If you want it faster, you still have to dig deep into your pocket. The step from DDR5-4800 to DDR5-5200 is clear, but it's practically useless. DDR5-6000, the next big brand, is then at least 100 euros more expensive than the basic version for a similar 32 GB kit consisting of two modules. 250 euros is only a quarter of the price that should have been paid in December 2021: 999 euros had been advertised for the first modules of this type.
DDR4 spot prices fall, stability in retail
Dropping even further from a fairly low level has been forecast for DDR4 for several months and is currently being forecast again. This is also partially visible on the DRAMeXchange memory exchange, but only if you look closely. In the end, it's small increments that made certain chips cheaper.
-
RAM spot prices on June 2, 2022 (Image: DRAMeXchange)
Image 1 of 3 < /figure>
RAM spot prices on June 2nd 2022 
RAM spot price in Asia on December 14th 
RAM spot price on September 1st In retail it shows therefore hardly any movement in DDR4 since the end of 2021. Here and there, some modules are a little cheaper for a while, others are more expensive, and then the game starts all over again next month and maybe vice versa. The sample kit from G.Skill (16 GB DDR4-3200 CL16), which is always used by the editors, is now 56 euros.
Stable price development for DDR4-3200 in stores since autumn 2021 (image: price comparison) The observation is not only accurate towards today's common entry with DDR4-3200, but also for faster modules according to the DDR4-4133 and DDR4-4266 standard. Here you can still get from around 100 to 120 euros, but some daily offers sometimes slightly undercut this level.