RAM prices could stay high through 2027: DRAM is already sold out

Industry reports say Samsung, SK Hynix, and Micron have already sold through their 2027 DRAM output, both standard memory and high-bandwidth memory (HBM) used in accelerator servers. Those same reports add that some of these contracts stretch out for five years, accelerator servers could end up taking about 70% of total supply, mainstream devices like gaming PCs, laptops, and smartphones are left fighting over roughly 30%, and some buyers are only getting 60% to 70% of the volumes they asked for.

If that reporting holds, DRAM is basically spoken for through 2027. For anyone building a new gaming PC or upgrading an older one, that likely means RAM and SSD prices could stay elevated longer than people hoped.

The same trade coverage points to a simple reason: HBM brings in better margins, and the market has been moving away from spot sales and toward prepaid, long-term contracts. That gives the biggest data-center customers more stability, but it puts consumer brands in a tighter spot. So if you’re planning a build, waiting around for cheaper memory probably isn’t worth it.

You can already see the pressure in RAM kits, prebuilts, laptops, smartphones, and SSDs. Industry reporting says a 32GB DDR5 kit went up by about 4x from late 2025, average selling prices for gaming hardware in the US rose 16% in the first half of 2026, 2027 NAND capacity could be fully booked by the end of August 2026, and no new fab capacity is expected before 2028, possibly even later.