DDR4 and GDDR6 memory prices to increase by up to 43% in the coming months

The assumption that older PC technology becomes cheaper once newer technology arrives is quickly becoming a thing of the past, as prices for DDR4 and GDDR6 memory are set to skyrocket by up to 43% in the third quarter of 2025, which is right around the corner. The news arrives via TrendForce, which has posted a new report covering its findings on the three major DRAM suppliers.

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When it comes to DDR4 and mobile LPDDR4X memory, the reason for the sharp increase in pricing is that these products are nearing the end of their life cycle (EOL) as companies transition to next-generation DDR5 technology. This means that the continued demand for older DDR4 technology, alongside "potential hikes in US import tariffs," may see DDR4 pricing increase by 38 to 43% with LPDDR4X pricing increasing by up to 23 to 28% for the PC market.

The growing demand for the newer DDR5 memory technology will also lead to an increase in pricing in the third quarter, but by a significantly lower amount, ranging from 3 to 8% for the consumer market. And with NVIDIA's latest generation of GeForce RTX 50 Series GPUs shifting to cutting-edge GDDR7 memory, the shift in production capacity for the newer technology also means that GDDR6 memory is in short supply.

• Read more: DDR4 memory prices are now higher than DDR5, so maybe it's time to upgrade
• Read more: SK hynix tells customers it will raise DDR5 DRAM prices by 15-20%, Samsung, Micron to follow

"The three major suppliers are gradually reallocating capacity to GDDR7 in preparation for NVIDIA's next-generation GPUs," TrendForce writes. "Still, mid- to entry-level GPUs from NVIDIA and other vendors like AMD continue to rely on GDDR6, leading to a short-term supply shortage." And with that, GDDR6 memory pricing is expected to increase by 28 to 33% in the third quarter, according to the study.

The entire DRAM market is being impacted by the growing demand for memory due to the AI boom, so GDDR7 memory pricing is also expected to increase by 5-10% in the third quarter.

Ultimately, with across-the-board DRAM pricing increases on the horizon, it sounds like if you're planning on building a budget gaming rig with DDR4 memory and a GDDR6-powered AMD Radeon GPU like the Radeon RX 9060 XT or a high-end gaming PC with a GeForce RTX 5080, you might want to pull the trigger before Q3 2025.