Brace yourself for more RAM misery: DDR5 is now getting pricier and there's
a rumor that CPUs will be more expensive next year

Date:
Wed, 22 Jul 2026 11:28:29 +0000

Description:
It looks like the memory crisis isn't going anywhere, between DDR5 RAM price hikes and a new rumor about more expensive CPUs.

FULL STORY ======================================================================Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Reddit Pinterest Flipboard Threads Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Subscribe to our newsletter RAM pricing in Germany has suddenly gotten a lot steeper The price of DDR5 memory is now 448% more
costly than a year ago On top of that, TSMC is reportedly set to increase its chip production prices by up to 10% next year, which will mean more expensive CPUs The RAM crisis appears to be getting considerably worse right now, based on memory pricing in one country anyway and we've also had some bad news
from a big chip maker.

First off, RAM pricing in Germany is what's been under the microscope
courtesy of 3D Center (via Wccftech ), which regularly takes the temperature of the market in the country, finding that July has seen a notable price
hike. This is for DDR5 RAM at retailers in Germany, and prices are now at an incredible 448% more costly than a year ago (before the memory crisis kicked off). Pricing had been at 440% at the start of 2026, but then dropped to 408% in March, and stayed at that level in April, before climbing back to 419% in June. Latest Videos From Watch full video here:

However, this latest move to 448% represents a bigger leap, and an all-time high for the German market.

As for the bleak news from the chip maker, that's TSMC which is going to
raise the cost of its chip production by up to 10% next year, according to a report by Nikkei Asia (as flagged by PC Gamer ). You may like RAM crisis
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The reason for TSMC having to hike prices is said to be the rising cost of materials and the equipment for manufacturing chips, as well as the need to fund expansion plans for more fabrication facilities (or fabs, as they're known).

Bigger premiums will be lumped onto those ordering high-end chips (high-performance computing or HPC silicon) from TSMC off the cuff (on top of existing orders), and in these cases there could be up to a 15% hike. Get daily insight, inspiration and deals in your inbox Sign up for breaking news, reviews, opinion, top tech deals, and more. Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. Analysis: hiking
misery (Image credit: Shutterstock) The good news here, such as it is, is
that TSMC is reportedly waiting until 2027 before implementing these price hikes. They could have come in sooner given the climate we're currently facing, although we should remember, this isn't official, and it's just based on what Nikkei Asia has heard from its sources. But it's all too believable, and indeed arguably inevitable that further chip price hikes are coming.

What this means is that the likes of processors or anything with a CPU in it
are likely to get pricier next year, because manufacturers who are getting their chips from TSMC will, naturally enough, pass any cost increase (or most of it) on to the consumer. And TSMC supplies a lot of the tech industry's needs, Apple and Nvidia included (as well as AMD and Qualcomm).

Regarding the RAM situation in Germany, this is just one country, of course, but it's generally reflective of what a lot of chatter is saying that the second half of 2026 is going to bring further price rises, and that next year is likely to be even worse . That's the broad theory floated by analysts and chip makers themselves in many cases, and the German market is simply backing this notion up.

Of course, there's not much that can be done about this, except perhaps to consider buying now rather than next year. Or at this point, you may want to look at Black Friday as a good upcoming opportunity to pounce on a hardware purchase like a PC or laptop, and that's the other thing to bear in mind
here: how you proceed depends on what hardware you're looking at purchasing. I've discussed this recently in some depth , after Nvidia's CEO commented on the RAM crisis and how it's not going to be over until perhaps 2030. Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews, and opinion in your feeds. The best laptops for all budgets
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Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/computing/memory/brace-yourself-for-more-ram-misery- ddr5-is-now-getting-pricier-and-theres-a-rumor-that-cpus-will-be-more-expensiv e-next-year


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