technically its because the manufacturers are putting all effort/labor costs into producing the necessary ram for those devices (that host the AI services/platforms) and not producing ram for consumer/end user PCs at the rate they were before. just supply and demand. it'll come full circle soon enough.
Actually, a far greater impact is the massive AI buildup, they're sucking all the oxygen out of the RAM/SSD market for the massive datacenter builds.
@neves Also notice that the SAME EXACT DDR5 RAM on Amazon US is more expensive than Amazon UK.The IT hardware "Cartel" is at it again: DRAM market is extremely concentrated - only a handful of companies (Samsung, SK Hynix, Micron, plus a few smaller ones) produce most of the world’s DRAM. Because of that concentration - these firms have a clear monopoly like - pricing power. When supply is tight, they can raise prices significantly - and downstream retailers have limited alternative sources. Something similar happened back in 2016 - 2018 - when DRAM prices nearly tripled - as part of what’s often called a “DRAM supercycle.” That period ended up with lawsuits and accusations of price-fixing against the major DRAM makers. Given the current environment - with AI server providers placing large long-term orders (often at higher margins) - DRAM makers have a strong incentive to prioritize those clients. That, in effect... reduces the supply for individual consumers - which pushes retail RAM prices up, even if “raw supply” (total DRAM output) increases slightly or stays flat. This is not strictly market manipulation - but it is a business decision that disadvantages consumers by design. Such dynamics easily foster a “fear of shortage” among resellers and retailers - compelling them to hoard stock or raise prices “because supply is tight” - even if actual scarcity may be induced partly by their own actions (or by upstream prioritization). A lot like - what happened in the GPU market during the early pandemic years and what followed... till present time.
Wasn't always that way, but they're much, much better than they were 20 years ago.
Boy am I glad I got myt 32 RAM when I did, for the time being I can relax - at least whilst the pc plays by the rules
Of course supply and demand, plus manufacturer choices in what to build.
I'm not sure that most people can wait "soon enough," given the forecasts for AI datacenter builds. If/when the AI bubble bursts, then RAM will get cheap again soon. Of course, if you just lost your job when the bubble burst, then low RAM prices won't matter to youl
@Scannerman RE: Black Friday, Agreed, me too. I will DEFINITELY be watching THAT YouTube video! Thanks for sharing!
Admittedly they would not do it if they didn't think the market could bear it. NVIDIA and AMD did the same thing with graphics cards. Nonetheless price hikes like this are insanely high. These increases amounting to 3X the standard cost only months ago are beyond the pale. The only way to deal with it is to refuse to pay the asking price. The consumer must vote with their wallet or prepare to pay more and more and more the same way they did with graphics cards. The consumer has two choices: Boycott or get fleeced.
