DDR5 Memory Prices Have Roughly Tripled in a Year, and Gaming PCs Are Paying for AI

Memory prices kept climbing through August 2026. A 32GB DDR5 kit that cost roughly 100 to 200 dollars a year ago now starts near 350 to 400 dollars when in stock, an increase of up to 89% across 2026. The cause is AI: Samsung, SK Hynix, and Micron are shifting factory capacity toward high-bandwidth memory (HBM) for AI data centers. Reports say those makers have already sold out their 2027 production, so relief is not close.