Good luck paying normal prices for DDR5 RAM. A severe shortage is causing people to resell the PC memory components for as much as $2,000 or more on eBay.
A month ago, retailers began selling the next-generation memory for between $116 to $369, an already-pricey amount compared to DDR4 RAM. But now the products seem to be sold out everywhere, except for eBay, where DDR5 RAM kit costs are becoming obscene.
For example, some merchants are trying to sell 16GB DDR5 RAM kits from Oloy for $800 or more when the product’s original retail price was only a mere $159.99.
Other merchants are hoping to sell their DDR5 RAM kits with 32GB memory for between $1,200 to $2,500. Another listing for two 32GB kits from Corsair is calling on buyers to fork over $5,000.
Although the pricing is ridiculous, eBay’s data shows at least some consumers have been willing to pay up. The company’s Terapeak tool notes that over the last week, 15 DDR5 RAM kits were sold for between $1,099 to $2,500.
But for now, the scalping seems to only be occurring at a small scale. On Tuesday, we only spotted 20 listings for DDR5 RAM kits through a search on eBay.
DDR5 RAM supplies are scarce due to a shortage of a power management chip (PMIC), according to 12chip.com, citing sources in the supply chain. The same power management chip is also reportedly 10 times more expensive than the PMIC used in DDR4 RAM sticks.
The shortage is certainly a downer if you’re looking to build a desktop PC with Intel’s 12th generation “Alder Lake” Core CPUs, which support the new RAM standard. Fortunately, Intel’s Alder Lake CPUs also work with DDR4 RAM.
You can check out our guide on Z690 motherboards to find out which support DDR4 and DDR5 RAM. We’ve also reached out to DDR5 memory makers on when they’ll see supplies improve, and we’ll update the story if we hear back.