Sorry, but DDR5 RAM is virtually impossible to buy right now

If you're trying to build yourself a new Intel 12th Gen Core "Alder Lake" CPU, and a new Z690-based motherboard then you're going to have some trouble finding some DDR5 RAM.

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Finding DDR5 RAM is hard because of the PMICs (Power Management Integrated Circuit) are facing "severe shortages" according to 12chip. The site reports: "Currently, there is a shortage of DDR5 sticks in the market, and sources from Boardchannels say that the main reason for the shortage is that the DDR5 memory is equipped with a power management chip PMIC, which is currently in very short supply".

• Read more: DDR5 will cost 60% more than DDR4, huge 2-year wait for cheap DDR5 RAM

"Sources said that the PMIC chip is currently in very short supply, while the purchase price of the PMIC chip to be used in DDR5 memory is 10 times more expensive than the corresponding chip in D4, and the procurement cycle is at least 35 weeks".

• Read more: Intel Core i9-12900K "Alder Lake" CPU Review
• Read more: Intel Core i5-12600K "Alder Lake" CPU Review

PMICs are an ultra-important of DDR5 memory and with shortages comes something worse: price hikes. There's not much DDR5 RAM available so whatever is available, is going to cost you more. Given that the PMIC chip used in DDR5 RAM is 10x more expensive than the chip in DDR4 RAM, we're going to be in this crappy DDR5 price world for a while -- no different to GPU prices, motherboard and CPU prices, etc.

• Read more: G.SKILL rocks out with world's fastest DDR5-6600 RAM, Alder Lake ready
• Read more: TEAMGROUP unveil T-FORCE VULCAN DDR5 RAM, up to 32GB DDR5-5200 speeds
• Read more: G.SKILL preps Trident Z DDR5 gaming + OC memory, coming soon
• Read more: PNY announces its new XLR8 Gaming DDR5-4800 RAM, ready for Q4 2021

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• Read more: ADATA unveils next-gen DDR5 coming, will offer 64GB kits of DDR5 RAM
• Read more: ZADAK unveils SPARK DDR5 RAM: 16GB and 32GB kits at up to DDR5-7200
• Read more: GeIL announces next-gen Polaris DDR5 RGB high-performance gaming RAM
• Read more: Corsair is preparing for DDR5: the next generation of memory on the PC
• Read more: Kingston preps DDR5 memory with OC support, ships in Q3 2021
• Read more: GALAX is working on next-gen HOF-branded overclocking-ready DDR5 RAM