Wild RAM Market In 2025 Sees MSRPs Disappear As Stores Adopt Spot Pricing Model

Memory prices have skyrocketed recently and brick-and-mortar retailers are converting to "spot pricing" or "market pricing" for RAM kits, which means pricing is determined at the point of sale based on current market conditions. The most egregious example we've seen is from u/CassTexas showing blocked-out DDR5 price tags at MicroCenter with a notice to consult a sales rep for pricing. There have also been other examples from additional retailers posted across social media, despite the fact retailers are largely still selling existing stock that they didn't pay a premium for.

With popular 32GB - 64GB, dual channel DDR5 memory kits routinely selling in the $300 - $800 price range currently, it bodes poorly for the DIY PC market, prebuilt PCs including laptops, game consoles and device like the upcoming Steam Machine. Graphics cards, already in high demand due to AI, are also due for a price surge, with AMD ...