Is Now a Good Time to Build a PC? What RAM and GPU Prices Did, and What Comes Next
Not if you can wait, and not because prices are about to fall. A 32 GB DDR5 kit cost about $135 in September 2025 and $459 on November 3, 2026. Memory makers expect supply to stay tight through 2027, so the real question is whether you need the PC now.
32 GB DDR5-6000, Nov 3
$459
Same class, Sep 2025
$135
RTX 5060 over launch price
+50%
Earliest relief forecast
mid-2027
Should you build or upgrade now, or wait?
Three questions. The answer uses the Nov 3, 2026 prices and the forecasts below.
Buy with care
Pick from the cards with the smallest markup.
On Nov 3, the Arc B570 and B580, RTX 5060 Ti 8GB (all +32%) and RX 9070 (+36%) were closest to their launch prices. The RTX 5070 Ti (+87%) and RTX 5080 (+100%) were the worst value. An upgrade in place costs far less than a new PC.
What happened to PC prices since 2025?
- 2024 – mid-2025
A 32 GB DDR5-6000 kit is stable at about $80–100 (PC Gamer, tracking a Crucial Pro kit).
Corsair's Vengeance 32 GB DDR5-6000 kit sells for $134.99 (Tom's Hardware).
A typical 32 GB DDR5 kit costs $100–200; a 32 GB DDR4 kit $60–90 (Tom's Hardware's tracker).
System builder CyberPowerPC announces price rises from December 7, saying RAM prices have risen 500%. AMD's board partners start charging about $10 more per 8 GB of graphics memory.
The same Corsair kit passes $420. Tom's Hardware reports that Micron plans to leave its Crucial consumer brand by early 2026 to free up wafer supply.
32 GB of DDR4 now costs $150–180 (Tom's Hardware's tracker).
TechSpot finds US graphics card prices up 20% on average since November 2025; the RTX 5070 Ti is up 37%, the RTX 5080 43%.
TrendForce: PC DRAM contract prices "keep rising in the fourth quarter, though gains are narrowing", and suppliers "plan negative PC DRAM supply growth next year".
Cheapest 32 GB DDR5-6000 kit: $459. 16 GB: $249. 32 GB DDR4-3200: $209. RTX 5060: $449 (launch price $299).
- Mid-2027 – late 2028 · forecast
Acer's CEO expects prices to drop around mid-2027. Micron's CEO expects conditions "much tighter in fiscal 2027 and 2028 than they were in 2026". TeamGroup's CEO says balance may not return until late 2028.
How much has RAM gone up? One kit size, four data points
32 GB (2 × 16 GB) DDR5-6000 kits, lowest reported US price. Band: PC Gamer (Crucial Pro kit). Sep and Dec 2025: Tom's Hardware (Corsair Vengeance kit). Nov 3, 2026: Tom's Hardware tracker, cheapest kit. Different kits of the same class; the dashed line has no data points between them.
Which graphics cards are closest to their launch price?
Graphics cards use the same memory chips, so they rose too, but not evenly. Cards with 16 GB of VRAM carry the largest premiums. Sort by markup to see the least inflated ones.
| Graphics card | Nov 3 price | Launch price | Over launch |
|---|---|---|---|
| GeForce RTX 5050 | $399 | $249 | +60% |
| GeForce RTX 5060 | $449 | $299 | +50% |
| GeForce RTX 5060 Ti 8GB | $499 | $379 | +32% |
| GeForce RTX 5060 Ti 16GB | $769 | $429 | +79% |
| GeForce RTX 5070 | $899 | $549 | +64% |
| GeForce RTX 5070 Ti | $1,399 | $749 | +87% |
| GeForce RTX 5080 | $1,999 | $999 | +100% |
| Radeon RX 9060 XT 8GB | $459 | $299 | +54% |
| Radeon RX 9060 XT 16GB | $659 | $349 | +89% |
| Radeon RX 9070 | $749 | $549 | +36% |
| Radeon RX 9070 XT | $919 | $599 | +53% |
| Intel Arc B570 | $289 | $219 | +32% |
| Intel Arc B580 | $329 | $250 | +32% |
When will RAM and GPU prices go down?
Every forecast we found puts relief in 2027 or later. Forecasts, not facts
- The cause is still there. Tom's Hardware explains that HBM for AI accelerators takes about three times the wafer area of regular DRAM, and that the new fabs "are not scheduled to come online until 2027 at the earliest", with HBM first in line.
- Contract prices are still rising. TrendForce's October 2026 report: Q4 PC DRAM prices rise "more slowly than last quarter", and Korean suppliers are cutting PC DRAM output in favor of servers.
- The industry's own guesses range from mid-2027 (Acer's CEO) to late 2028 (TeamGroup's CEO), as collected by PC Gamer on Oct 20, 2026.
FAQ
Is now a good time to build a PC?
Only if you need one. On Nov 3, 2026 a 32 GB DDR5-6000 kit cost $459 against about $135 in September 2025, and most graphics cards sold 32% to 100% above their launch prices. If your current PC works, waiting costs you nothing.
When will RAM prices go down?
Nobody knows, and the forecasts are not encouraging. TrendForce said in October 2026 that PC DRAM contract prices were still rising. Acer's CEO expects prices to fall around mid-2027; TeamGroup's CEO says supply and demand may not balance until late 2028.
Why is RAM so expensive in 2026?
Memory makers moved production to HBM and server memory for AI data centers. Tom's Hardware reports that new fabs will not add meaningful supply before 2027 at the earliest, and TrendForce says suppliers plan negative PC DRAM supply growth next year.
Are graphics cards cheaper now?
No. On Nov 3, 2026, Tom's Hardware's tracker had the RTX 5060 at $449 (launch price $299) and the RX 9070 XT at $919 ($599). The smallest markups were on the Arc B570, Arc B580 and RTX 5060 Ti 8GB, all 32% over launch.
Should I buy DDR4 instead of DDR5 to save money?
Only to upgrade a DDR4 PC you already have. A 32 GB DDR4-3200 kit cost $209 against $459 for DDR5-6000 on Nov 3, 2026, but Tom's Hardware notes it makes little sense to build a new DDR4 system because of processor and motherboard availability.
How we researched this
Prices come from Tom's Hardware's RAM and GPU trackers and its reporting, plus PC Gamer's kit tracking. Forecasts are TrendForce's and executives' statements as reported. Markups are our arithmetic. We do not predict prices ourselves.
First version. We will add a data point each time we recheck the trackers.
Where the figures come from
- RAM price tracking 2026, Tom's Hardware (Oct 2025, Jan 2026 and current prices).
- GPU price tracking 2026, Tom's Hardware.
- Here's why HBM is coming for your PC's RAM, Tom's Hardware (Corsair kit prices, Micron and Crucial, fab timelines).
- $1,000 bought an RTX 5080 in November 2025, now it only buys an RTX 5070 Ti, Tom's Hardware, reporting TechSpot's data.
- Why PC hardware costs more than ever, PC Gamer (kit tracking; Micron, TeamGroup and Acer statements); CyberPowerPC price rises, Tom's Hardware, Nov 26, 2025.
- DRAM Contract Price Oct. 2026, TrendForce (report summary).