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It's not just DDR5 that's seeing enormous price rises related to the global memory shortage. TrendForce's latest memory pricing report notes a 12% increase in some 8GB DDR4 memory kits and an 8% rise in the cost of 16GB kits over the past week. DDR3 prices are rising too, as gamers and enthusiasts try to find some way to affordably build or upgrade their systems.
Memory prices have been spiking over the past year. What started with DDR5 later trickled down to previous-gen memory. It's continued into 2026 with a near 10% increase in the price of DDR4 memory. With memory manufacturers doing little to alleviate supply issues, chip buyers are turning to older or less powerful RAM, prompting their prices to rise, too. It's even affecting DDR3, which hasn't been relevant for modern computing in over a decade.
(Credit: TrendForce)That hasn't stopped PC builders and buyers from searching it out, though. Citing Board Channels, VideoCardz reports that DDR3 motherboard purchases are surging, too.
That's a little easier to find given that it's in a lot of retired or older office PCs that industrious shoppers can probably track down. Those who want high-end performance on DDR3 motherboards should look to older high-end desktop (HEDT) systems like Intel's Xeon CPUs, which offer high core counts but lower clock speeds than modern systems, VideoCardz notes.
Alternatively, some budget motherboards were designed for Intel 8th and 9th generation CPUs with DDR3 compatibility, and could deliver decent performance for modern gaming and productivity, without the price shock of more modern systems.
Despite the price fluctuations, global PC sales jumped almost 10% in Q4, according to IDC data. However, the analyst firm said that boost is due to buyers and brands trying to secure inventory ahead of anticipated price increases in 2026.