Chinese DDR5 Was Supposed to Ease the RAM Crunch — It Hasn’t

PC gamers hoping that Chinese memory manufacturers would ease rising RAM prices are still waiting. While companies such as CXMT have expanded DDR5 production, retail pricing shows little evidence of downward pressure. As Kotaku recently reported, expectations that China’s growing DRAM output would stabilize the consumer market have not materialized.

Instead, DDR5 prices have climbed again in early 2026 as AI infrastructure demand continues to absorb global memory capacity. The result: gamers face higher upgrade costs despite new entrants in the market.

DDR5 Prices Are Climbing Again

Retail tracking across major U.S. and EU retailers shows that popular 32GB DDR5-6000 kits that briefly dipped to around $85–$95 in late 2024 now commonly list between $110–$130, depending on frequency and timings. Higher-end 64GB kits have seen similar movement, rising from roughly $170 lows to $220+ in some configurations.

Industry data from TrendForce indicates that DDR5 contract pricing has risen by mid-single-digit percentages quarter-over-quarter in early 2026. While not yet at 2017–2018 peak surge levels, the upward direction contradicts expectations that expanded Chinese production would trigger price competition.

AI Demand Is Redirecting Capacity

Major memory producers are prioritizing high-bandwidth memory (HBM) used in AI accelerators. According to Reuters, Micron executives confirmed that AI demand is tightening overall DRAM supply and lifting pricing across segments.

Although DDR5 and HBM use different packaging, both compete for advanced wafer capacity and manufacturing resources. Foundries allocate more production toward higher-margin enterprise contracts, reducing the volume available for consumer-grade DDR modules.

Chinese DRAM Output Hasn’t Triggered a Price War

China’s CXMT was widely expected to increase global supply and apply downward pressure to pricing. However, retail listings show that DDR5 modules using Chinese-made chips track closely with Samsung, SK Hynix, and Micron pricing. The anticipated flood of low-cost alternatives has not appeared.

Production scale, export dynamics, and similar input costs mean Chinese manufacturers operate within the same broader market forces. Without a significant oversupply scenario, new capacity alone does not automatically reduce prices.

GPU Memory Demand Adds Indirect Pressure

The AI boom also drives massive demand for GPU memory. High-end accelerators rely heavily on HBM, but gaming GPUs depend on GDDR6 and GDDR6X. While these memory types differ from DDR5 system RAM, they draw from overlapping fabrication ecosystems and capital investment pools.

As suppliers invest aggressively in AI-oriented memory technologies, less capital flows toward expanding commodity DRAM and GDDR production. This indirect effect tightens the broader memory landscape and reinforces upward pricing pressure across the PC hardware stack.

What This Means for PC Builders

For gamers building or upgrading rigs in 2026, RAM once again represents a more significant share of total system cost. Modern titles increasingly recommend 32GB for optimal performance, making higher capacity kits less optional than in previous hardware cycles.

Unless DRAM supply expands meaningfully or AI demand moderates, pricing volatility is likely to persist. Chinese production growth alone has not stabilized the market. For now, DDR5 remains more expensive than many expected heading into the year.