If you've priced up a gaming PC recently and thought the memory line looked like a typo, it wasn't. RAM has become the single most painful part of a build in 2026. A 32GB DDR5 kit that cost $100–200 last October now starts around $350–375 according to Tom's Hardware's price tracking, when it's in stock at all. Irish and EU retailers are riding the same wave, and it's knocked the confidence out of a lot of would-be builders.
What's actually going on
Retailers aren't chancing their arm here. AI datacentre buildouts are consuming an enormous share of global DRAM production, and memory makers have shifted output towards the chips AI companies pay top dollar for. Gamers get what's left. The squeeze isn't limited to system RAM either. Graphics cards use the same memory factories for their GDDR, which is a big part of why GPU prices have been creeping up rather than down this year. Industry analysts don't expect real relief until new factory capacity comes online, likely towards late 2027. So this isn't a "wait two weeks for the sale" situation.
16GB still does the job
Here's the bit the panic headlines skip. PC Gamer's recent testing found 16GB of RAM is still perfectly fine for today's games, with only a handful of memory-hungry open-world titles benefitting meaningfully from more. Nobody loved recommending 16GB when 32GB was €90. At today's prices, though, buying 16GB now and upgrading later is a perfectly sensible plan. RAM is the easiest part in a PC to swap: two clips, thirty seconds, done.
How to build smart in a shortage
A few ways to keep a 2026 build sensible:
- Put the money in the graphics card. The GPU decides your frame rates; RAM just needs to be sufficient. Spending €200 extra on memory that games won't use is the worst value in the build right now.
- Start with 16GB, leave slots free. Pick a motherboard with four RAM slots and add more when prices settle, rather than paying the peak today.
- Consider a DDR4 platform on a budget. DDR4 is older but far cheaper, and an AM4 build still games brilliantly for the money. It's not a long-term platform, but it's a lot of PC per euro in 2026.
- Reuse what you have. Upgrading from an existing PC? Your current RAM, storage or case may carry over and save real money.
Waiting it out
Plenty of people are. A recent survey found 60% of PC gamers have no plans to build for at least two years. If your current machine does everything you need, that's a fair call. But if you're gaming on something that's really struggling, waiting eighteen months for a maybe isn't much of a plan. A build specced cleverly today (GPU first, 16GB, room to grow) will serve you well now and take cheap upgrades later.
Summary
Memory prices are the highest in years and won't properly settle until new supply arrives, likely late 2027. But games still run beautifully on 16GB, DDR4 platforms remain a bargain, and a build planned around the shortage still gives great value. Put the money into the graphics card and let the extra RAM wait.
