Framework Raises DDR5 Memory Prices by 50% for DIY Laptops
35 comments
·December 12, 2025walterbell
ndiddy
Dell now charges more for RAM than Apple for some models: https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/apple-now-beats-dell-at...
fcoury
I thought Apple would get around and improve their memory prices with time, I guess it's the opposite: all manufacturers are now becoming Apple given these raises.
I wonder what Apple's next move will be :-)
EDIT: Spelling
Neywiny
I have 96GB of 6000 MT/s. Pcpartpicker says 64GB kits have quadrupled in price since August. So I'm almost surprised it's only 50%.
SlightlyLeftPad
Yikes, I hadn’t realized this was that big of a problem. The same exact G.skill z5 64Gb ram I bought 4 years ago is well on its way to being double the price. Does this have more to do with Crucial ending consumer product lines or tariffs?
adastra22
It is because OpenAI bought 40% of the world’s production capacity overnight. RAM is like toilet paper during Covid now.
Sohcahtoa82
> The same exact G.skill z5 64Gb ram I bought 4 years ago is well on its way to being double the price.
The RAM I bought last year has more than tripled. 2x32 DDR5 kits, $240/kit, now $820.
nancyminusone
I just last week sold some DDR5 I bought in April for triple what I paid for it.
esseph
Crucial was shut down so they could focus on selling more ram to hyperscalers. That happened because of the state of things.
Prices are not expected to recover until 2028.
CryptoBanker
The state of things...meaning AI companies buying up the world's supply of RAM
jordanb
At some point it's going to make sense to buy a computer without ram once the lack of ram pushes demand down for all other components.
Maybe this won't last that long given the RAM shortage is apparently a corner attempt by Sam Altman.
dismalaf
What's wild is OpenAI doubling down on hyperscaling when it's obvious that the gains from pre-training are coming to an end. They seem determined to just go out in flames...
mschuster91
The thing is, it seems like they are planning to force everyone else out of the market. Acquire all the RAM they can possibly get, leave none for the competition, pray to survive the entire mess.
It's the inevitable peak of the venture capital pipeline, just this time it isn't individual industries (e.g. taxis with Uber, hotels with AirBnB) getting squeezed out by unsustainable pricing - it's the economy at large that's suffering this time.
And it's high time for us as a society to put an end to this madness. End the AI VC economy before it ends our economy.
riskable
Perhaps we can call this type of maneuver, "The Sam Altman": Your expensive business's mid-term outlook not looking so good? Why not use all that cash/credit to corner the market in some commodity in order to cripple your perceived competition?
mschuster91
He's not the first one though. The crypto miners used to do the same (I distinctly 'member first GPUs, then HDDs, then ordinary RAM being squoze by yet another new shitcoin in less than a year), and Uber plus the food delivery apps are a masterclass in how to destroy competition with seemingly infinite cash.
dismalaf
This is a huge Hail Mary... IMO they'd be better served slowing down the training pipeline, becoming profitable now, hiring a bunch of scientists and figuring out the next AI technology.
zb3
Was this market manipulation legal? If so, that's crazy..
mschuster91
Oh, both Uber and AirBnB did get dinged by the courts - but it took them years and the damage was already done, on top of that the fines were laughable.
We need the corporate death penalty aka forced dissolution for egregious cases of misbehavior, we need easier ways to pierce the corporate veil (and I'm more and more inclined to actually support the death penalty here as well, despite the potential for abuse), we need corporate fines to all be measured % of gross income, at least double the profit margin.
And we need all of that fast.
pengaru
I assembled a new 32c/64t 7970X threadripper with 128GB DDR5 and a 16GB RX9070XT over the summer...
This memory situation has me pondering putting it all up on ebay
ChrisArchitect
Actual article: https://frame.work/blog/updates-on-memory-pricing-and-naviga...
sosodev
Thank you for sharing this. Their point about the 128GB desktop mainboard being a bargain while their prices remain low rings true. I bought one a couple weeks ago because I've been wanting to build a beefy, efficient home server and I think this might be the last window of affordability for quite a while.
j45
It seems easier to purchase from hardware vendors that have already locked in their prices for RAM.
hurturue
like Backblaze was purchasing HDDs from retail store, so will (small) AI providers
esseph
That will quickly run dry.
meindnoch
cc @apple
Ritewut
[flagged]
Group_B
This is not the same at all
greenavocado
Have you paid any attention to DDR5 prices prior to writing your comment? Answer Yes or No.
Ritewut
Yes, Framework made their comments like 1 or 2 days ago. They knew what was happening to RAM prices.
theyeenzbeanz
This is the fault of manufacturers fixing supply, especially in the case of micron, one of only 3 memory chip manufacturers, deciding to flip the bird to the non-AI consumer market.
Kye
Where's the gouge? DDR5 prices went up more than the 50% they increased their price by.
https://www.trendforce.com/news/2025/12/05/exclusive-memory-...
> Lenovo has begun notifying clients of coming price hikes, with adjustments set to take effect in early 2026.. Dell is expected to raise prices by at least 15-20%, with the increase potentially taking effect as soon as mid-December.. Dell COO Jeff Clarke warned that he’s “never seen memory-chip costs rise this fast,” .. Lenovo [cited] two key factors: an intensifying memory shortage and the rapid integration of AI technologies.. TrendForce has downgraded its 2026 notebook shipment forecast from an initial 1.7% YoY growth to a 2.4% YoY decline.
https://hanchouhsu.substack.com/p/overview-of-the-memory-mar...
> The full-year price increase for Samsung’s storage products supplied to Apple in 2026 has been finalized, with DRAM prices rising by 53% and NAND prices rising by 52%. Earlier rumors suggesting an 80% full-year increase for DRAM were inaccurate.. Apple negotiated the prices down to the aforementioned levels and signed long-term agreements (LTAs).. Kioxia also signed a similar agreement with Apple, with price increases consistent with Samsung’s.