In the midst of the ongoing PC component crisis, tech giant Samsung has quickly doubled the price of DRAM it makes for various brands, bringing the contract price close to $20 on parts like DDR5 RAM. Ergo, buyers of PC parts will have to pay premiums for key components, as Samsung has said the sudden price hike is because the company has no DRAM inventory left.
As of this writing, Samsung is the largest business conglomerate in South Korea, and it is one of the largest manufacturers of consumer RAM, along with companies such as SK Hynix and Micron. Samsung's major customers for DRAM include companies such as G.Skill and Corsair. Along with its PC components and smartphone businesses, Samsung is known for making storage for PCs, smartphones and game consoles. This includes SD cards of various sizes, including the recently launched microSD Express format. Currently, microSD Express cards are used by the Nintendo Switch 2 as the console's main method of expandable storage, with products such as Samsung's P9 Express cards being sold at competitive prices to consumers looking to add more space.
If you're considering buying a Nintendo Switch 2, you might not want to wait much longer to pull the trigger
Skyrocketing RAM costs cast a worrying shadow over the Nintendo Switch 2, as prices rise across the industry and rumors of console price hikes grow.
PC builders will bear the cost of Samsung's price hike
As the prices of consumer DDR5 RAM kits continue to soar, a new report claims that Samsung has raised contract prices for the DRAM it manufactures. According to a Taiwanese media report shared by Twitter user Jukan05, Samsung has raised its DRAM contract price by more than 100%, from nearly $7 to the current $19.50 per unit. The contract price is a number that represents the bulk pricing that manufacturers such as Samsung and SK Hynix offer to major component manufacturers such as Corsair. While Samsung sells the DRAM chip itself, the latter companies then assemble them on their own printed circuit boards (PCBs) and heat sinks, which they then sell to consumers and other companies. However, the ongoing shortage has caused consumer RAM manufacturers to drastically raise their prices, with RAM kits costing over four times the amount previously offered before October 2025.
Samsung stated via the media report that it has no stock of DRAM kits left, which is why it chose to double its contract prices. This change will inevitably affect DDR5 and DDR4 RAM kits that use Samsung components, as Samsung's contract price for DDR4 kits has also risen to $18 per 16GB module. The price increase will also affect Samsung's own line of smartphones and tablets across the board. One of Samsung's current premium smartphones is the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7, which carries a hefty price tag of $1,999 at the time of writing.
Samsung's decision comes at the worst time for PC gamers
The sudden announcement by Samsung came days after one of Samsung's main competitors in the DRAM manufacturing space announced a major change in its manufacturing processes. On December 3, Micron announced that it was exiting the consumer RAM and SSD component business and turning its attention to making parts for enterprise customers and businesses. Ergo, the Crucial range of consumer products will cease production on February 28, 2026, ending a 29-year run as one of the leading PC parts brands worldwide. Micron stated that it was a move to ensure its long-term success, as it continues to supply DRAM exclusively for AI-based servers currently being built. Despite the announcement, Micron assured consumers that it would continue to offer warranties and support for its Crucial RAM and SSD lineup after the February 28 deadline.
With Samsung also responsible for selling NVMe SSDs like the 990 Pro, the price of storage will also increase as the ongoing RAM shortage and crisis continues. As companies like Google and OpenAI continue to open data centers that require DRAM from Samsung and SK Hynix, it remains to be seen when consumers will see any relief.
Source: Tom's guide
