Anyone with a cursory interest in building and/or upgrading computers will be aware of how expensive memory has become, particularly random access memory (RAM). The rush to buy up these components for use in generative artificial intelligence has driven prices up for everyone, with several components now hundreds of dollars more expensive than they were in 2025.
In mid-2025, two sticks of DDR4-3000 16GB RAM would’ve cost you less than $150. Now, the same two sticks are going for around $280. As you can imagine, the price continues to rise as the amount of memory does.
Jawa Mode
The market has become so bleak that a Reddit user travelled to their local dump to go scavenging for hardware (nice spot, PC Gamer). During their latest trip, they discovered a veritable treasure trove of mid-tier hardware, including two sticks of DDR4 32GB RAM.
According to PC Part Picker, a pair of 32GB RAM sticks can run you up over $500 in the current, RAM-starved market. As one commenter points out, “64GB RAM, time to retire.”
Our modern-day scavenger also found “a real nice Samsung monitor, a brand-new 5.25 floppy drive […] a Drobo Bay 5 NAS [network storage], a 10th gen i7 with a CoolerMaster cooler, a decent little ASUS motherboard and a few other odds and ends.”
There are always failed startups and downsizing conglomerates willing to throw away expensive hardware, so perhaps checking the local dump every now and then isn’t the worst idea if you have access, especially if you’re in an area laden with tech companies. However, a lot of places will just melt down components before they let anyone in to take a look.
One Stick Of RAM Now Costs More Than An Entire PlayStation 5
AI companies are hoarding storage and memory.
The comments section features other rummagers who discovered expensive finds at recycling centres, such as an RTX 2070 and 128GB of RAM spread across various sticks.
Unfortunately for the rest of us who don’t have the talent, access or time to cosplay a Jawa, the market doesn’t show any signs of declining any time soon.
It’s not just the consumer that’s facing the consequences of a gen-AI boom, but console manufacturers such as Sony, Nintendo and Xbox are all grappling with rising production costs for their hardware.
Steam has yet to announce the price of the upcoming Steam Machine due to the high prices of the current memory market.
- Date Founded
-
April 1, 1993
- CEO
-
Jensen Huang
- Subsidiaries
-
Mellanox Technologies, Cumulus Networks, NVIDIA Advanced Rendering Center
- Headquarters
-
Santa Clara, California, United States
