Overview
- Retail RAM prices have surged, with reported increases ranging from about 50% to as high as 400% depending on brand, capacity and speed.
- Samsung and SK Hynix signaled they will not bolster consumer‑market supply, while Micron closed its Crucial consumer brand to focus on enterprise demand.
- Stores are curbing standalone RAM sales or pushing prebuilt PCs with added surcharges, and gamers are delaying upgrades or switching to premade systems.
- Second‑hand reselling has accelerated, with used modules fetching multiples of original prices as listings move quickly on peer‑to‑peer platforms.
- SK Hynix, Samsung and Micron report strong revenue and market‑cap gains, and multiple reports indicate elevated memory costs could extend through 2026 and push up PC and smartphone prices.