One thing unusual is occurring within the PC {hardware} market. The place you could possibly spend a few hundred bucks to improve your reminiscence in late 2024, you are now double that firstly of 2026.
It isn’t simply affecting the value of laptop reminiscence, both. It is every thing related to it, like laptops, smartphones, video games consoles, and so forth.
Amid the insanity of those worth will increase, sure {hardware} has seen important worth will increase, and one CPU particularly is seeing huge good points as PC customers flip again to older {hardware} generations.
It is had such a worth improve that on the time of writing, this AMD CPU is retailing in some locations for greater than double its MSRP—regardless of it launching practically 4 years in the past.
People are flocking again to AM4
I did not know that is what time-travel can be like
I am speaking, in fact, of the AMD Ryzen 7 5800x3D CPU, launched again in 2022. It was the primary AMD CPU to characteristic its 3D V-Cache, stacking cache reminiscence to ship extra capability, for a complete of 96MB.
On the time, it was revolutionary, altering how a lot cache a shopper CPU might entry, and taking our expectations with it. The 5800x3D was additionally extensively thought of the final main CPU launch for AMD’s AM4 socket, as whereas the corporate later launched the 5700x3D and 5600x3D, they had been understudies to the extra highly effective chip.
We have additionally had two full generations of CPUs on AMD’s newer AM5 socket, too. Its 7000-Collection (together with 7000x3D) CPUs launched in 2023, whereas 2025 noticed the launch of the amazingly highly effective 9000-Collection CPUs (once more, together with 9000x3D chips). In each circumstances, the general efficiency outstrips the older 5000-Collection chips. However the newer AM5 socket requires the essential {hardware} that is ramped up in worth all through 2025 and into 2026: DDR5 reminiscence.
However this is the factor with the 5800x3D. AMD’s CPU nonetheless delivers unbelievable efficiency, even in comparison with the AMD Ryzen 7 9800x3D (November 2024), Ryzen 9 9950X (August 2024), and Ryzen 9 9950x3D (March 2025).
In some circumstances, the most recent and best of AMD’s x3D chips is just flattening 30 p.c extra frames with minimal variations in a single p.c lows, which, frankly, is absurd given the generational hole. Whereas 30 p.c sounds important, if the figures are nonetheless manner north of 120FPS and pushing into 200+ FPS, it is a positive signal the older CPU remains to be holding its personal.
So, for anybody with an AM4 motherboard, the 5800x3D is the proper drop-in improve that may enhance your system for years to come back, particularly if you have already got a strong GPU to accompany it.
The RAM scarcity is affecting the value of every thing
Time to money in?
It isn’t truly of us immediately seeking to downgrade their {hardware}, although some are probably doing so. The strain is immediately ramping up from of us nonetheless utilizing an AM4-based PC wanting to maximise its efficiency, provided that RAM and different PC {hardware} costs do not appear to be they are going down any time quickly.
Nonetheless, the costs are bonkers.
The Ryzen 7 5800x3D launched for $450, with costs ultimately transferring all the way down to round $320-350 within the following months. Now, eBay is flush with listings and gross sales topping out lots of of {dollars} over asking worth, with many clearing the $600-800 mark. You could find posts throughout social media with of us explaining how joyful they’re that they upgraded to this chip years in the past, as a result of it will preserve them going for years extra (with the proper RAM and GPU combo).
The factor is, it isn’t like DDR4 can be low cost. It isn’t as costly as DDR5, the most recent era, but it surely has additionally risen in worth; a rising tide raises all boats, and all that. DDR4 RAM costs had slowly decreased as DDR5 changed it, however up to now couple of months, most DDR4 RAM costs have steadily elevated.
For instance, the value of this CORSAIR Vengeance DDR4 RAM 32GB rose from round $90 in October 2025 to round $170 in January 2026, whereas the CORSAIR Vengeance RGB PRO DDR4 RAM 32GB (the RGB model) rose from round $90 to $280 over the identical interval.
RAM shortages are affecting all markets, not simply the highest tier.
Scammers know the deal, too
Too good to be true, or simply ridiculous costs
And as with all time there are important worth rises, scammers are ready for any probability to money in. It is a mixture of excessive however doubtlessly simply plausible costs, ridiculous costs, or low costs for the market… however nothing ever arrives.
Whereas evaluating DDR4 RAM costs on Amazon, I discovered an inventory for a 64GB RAM set for round $580. Good, I assumed—this proves my level about DDR4 RAM costs rising together with the DDR5. However on nearer inspection, this massively overpriced set of RAM was solely added to Amazon on January 4, 2026, and straight in at that insane worth. In equity, this 64GB Patriot Memory Viper Elite II DDR4 kit is $564, and whereas its worth has greater than doubled since October 2025, that’s the “new” vary for this dimension.
On condition that the primary itemizing had simply been added to Amazon, it is unclear if it will even arrive. However the pricing is just barely greater than different reminiscence in the identical bracket, so whereas aggressive, it isn’t over-the-top. Nicely, it is fully excessive, however not lots of of {dollars} exterior the present bloated market. Nonetheless, it is clear that some sellers and firms are testing the higher limits of the value ceilings within the hope of grabbing some super-priced gross sales.
After all, that prompted me to take a more in-depth take a look at the Ryzen 7 5800x3D eBay listings for comparable anomalies. Fortunately, there aren’t many approaching what I’d think about a really disgusting worth, however there have been one or two topping out at over $1,000. So, yeah, let that sink in.
This Is The #1 Upgrade That Makes an Old PC Feel Brand New
An NVMe SSD is one of the best bang in your buck relating to rushing up an previous PC.
When are RAM and {hardware} costs coming again down?
That is the enjoyable factor: they most likely aren’t.
Not less than, they’re staying put for many of 2026, that is for positive. The uncomfortable reality is that that is probably the brand new regular. {Hardware} pricing is now not pushed purely by efficiency good points, however by provide chain fragility, AI demand, and speculative pricing habits. When even previous {hardware} turns into a monetary asset, one thing has gone basically fallacious.
The demand from the AI business for extra reminiscence is not prone to drop anytime quickly, and the fabrications which have already switched to creating high-bandwidth reminiscence aren’t going to change again. That straightforward mixture will preserve RAM and different PC {hardware} elements costlier all through 2026 and doubtlessly onwards.
At CES 2026 in Las Vegas, I requested quite a few {hardware} distributors about anticipated costs for upcoming new releases. I’ve by no means met with so many distributors skirting the query, shuffling their ft, and customarily hoping to maneuver the dialog on. It is comprehensible; nobody desires to disclose that the most recent and best tech goes to value lots of various months again, but it surely tells you every thing you want to find out about how painful the {hardware} state of affairs is.
So, on that, if you happen to already personal a Ryzen 7 5800X3D? Congratulations — you unintentionally made top-of-the-line PC investments of the last decade.
- Model
-
AMD
- CPU Mannequin
-
5800x3D
- Cores
-
8
- Threads
-
16
- Structure
-
Zen 3 w/ 3D V-Cache
- Socket
-
AM4
The AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D is an 8-core, 16-thread desktop gaming CPU that includes 3D V-Cache for enormous 96 MB L3 cache. Constructed on the Zen 3 7 nm structure, it boosts as much as 4.5 GHz with a 105 W TDP, excelling in gaming efficiency on AM4 motherboards utilizing DDR4 reminiscence.
Source link
