Some good news, DDR5 memory pricing is actually dropping in Europe

Retail prices for desktop-class DDR5 memory for new PC builds or upgrades have increased dramatically in recent months due to the ongoing memory crunch affecting the entire consumer technology market. The situation is pretty dire, so even if what we're seeing here is simply a short-term course correction, it's still some good news in what has been a couple of months of bleak reporting on the state of PC hardware.

2

Tracking the average and lowest prices of memory kits, it looks like prices have dropped across Europe in recent weeks. As reported by a group of enthusiasts on Reddit, with Tom's Hardware also confirming the price changes with some of Germany's largest suppliers of PC hardware. Tracking 32GB DDR5 memory kits from companies like Corsair and Kingston, the outlet has confirmed the downward trend.

However, even though it's technically a steep decline when pricing drops from €550 for a Corsair kit in January to €463, it's still a lot more expensive than the average price of around €100 back in October of last year. It will be interesting to see whether this downward trend continues, if prices increase, or if they settle at a new average for the remainder of 2026.

What's clear is that we probably shouldn't expect DDR5 memory prices to return to "normal" levels in 2026, as unprecedented demand from the AI sector and limited supply are set to be the new normal for the foreseeable future. Hopefully, what we're seeing here is memory prices hitting a theoretical ceiling, and that we're not going to reach a point where European PC enthusiasts consider €450 a bargain for 32GB of DDR5 memory.