RAMpocalypse analyzed: DDR5 memory is now 440% pricier since July, even DDR3 memory sees a 75%+ increase
A new update to 3DCenter’s memory price index shows that RAM prices in the German retail channel kept climbing into mid-January 2026, based on Geizhals listings and excluding eBay and Amazon Marketplace offers.
DDR5: average overvaluation reaches +340%
DDR5 for desktop PCs remains the worst-hit category. Across 20 DDR5 configurations, the report puts the average overvaluation at +340% versus July 2025, meaning buyers pay about 4.4 times the baseline price.
The monthly pace slowed, but prices still moved up fast. The index shows +27.6% growth from December to January, after +93.0% from November to December. Real-world examples are hard to ignore. A 2x32GB DDR5-5600 kit rose from €530 in December to €677 in January, and the report notes that the €147 jump alone is slightly higher than the full-kit price back in July 2025 (€140).
At the same time, “standard” DDR5 bins are seeing the biggest percentage jumps because they started from the lowest base. 2x16GB DDR5-6000 (latency-agnostic) climbed from €75 in July 2025 to €395 in January 2026, a +427% increase.
Source: 3DCenter
DDR4 and DDR3: smaller totals than DDR5, but faster month-to-month
Older desktop memory is still below DDR5 in absolute pricing, but the slope is getting steeper. The DDR3/4 group shows an average overvaluation of +219% versus July 2025 (about 3.2x), with the monthly increase accelerating to +46.3% from December to January (up from +30.2% in the prior month).
DDR3 is rising too, even if demand is lower. The report lists 8GB DDR3-1600 up from €12 to €21 (+75%), and 2x8GB DDR3-1600 up from €25 to €51 (+104%). DDR4 moves are larger. Examples include 16GB DDR4-2133/2400 rising from €25 to €87 (+248%) and 8GB DDR4-2133/2400 going from €15 to €60 (+300%).
It is not just the memory that is affected. The storage prices have increased significantly as well. 3DCenter has a full report available here .
Source:
RAMpocalyse: Retail Price Trend 2025/26 🇩🇪
(Dec→Jan & overall)
+27.6% = ∑ +340% – DDR5
+46.3% = ∑ +219% – DDR3/4
+26,3% = ∑ +199% – SODIMM
+26.7% = ∑ +79% – int. SSD
+17.8% = ∑ +53% – int. HDD
+4.9% = ∑ +11% – ext. Disc
+12.1% = ∑ +14% – GPU https://t.co/tV3mQu6j0C pic.twitter.com/XMGoGbk2ZO— 3DCenter.org (@3DCenter_org) January 18, 2026
