PC's with 64GB of RAM plummet 18% as memory prices soar

The latest CPU-Z hardware survey data shows 32GB and 64GB memory configurations down 2.5% and 18% year on year, respectively. The driving factor is no mystery: High-capacity memory has become a luxury in modern PC builds. The AI rush is still gobbling up the global DRAM supply, so prices for the best RAM options across DDR4 and DDR5 have gone through the roof.

If you are not familiar with CPU-Z, it is a free program that gives you a detailed breakdown of the hardware inside your system. It only tracks systems where it is actually installed and running, so it does not report monthly retail sales figures. Do not take the data as sales figures in any sense. They represent CPU-Z's active user base.

32GB and 16GB are common configurations that have grown over the years. According to the gathered data, 32GB configurations lead CPU-Z's user base with a 37.2% share, with 16GB configurations close behind at 33%. Not a surprise, really, since applications and games have grown more memory-intensive. 16GB has been the baseline for a long time now, and 32GB is now the sweet spot for many people, even gamers.

On the flip side, 8GB configurations have been steadily declining. They make up only 11% of the surveyed systems. 8GB systems are rare nowadays. You may still find them in legacy systems, basic office machines, or extremely budget-limited builds where performance takes a backseat. Meanwhile, higher-end configurations, including 64GB and 24GB, are still in the minority at 7.3% and 2.3%, respectively.

For the first time, the CPU-Z developer recorded a noticeable decline in higher-capacity configurations. Specifically, 32GB configurations fell 2.5% year over year, while 64GB options dropped a significant 18%. This is likely due to the steep rise in memory prices, which has forced consumers to reconsider the cost-benefit of larger capacities.

As the price per gigabyte goes up, buyers are opting for more affordable capacities. Lower-capacity memory kits have seen a somewhat revival. The 16GB configuration, often considered the minimum, has rebounded by 12.9%. Similarly, 8GB configurations, which were previously in sharp decline, grew 5.5%.

Interestingly, 24GB configurations also increased by 19.7% and have become a compromise for consumers who need more than 16GB of memory but do not want to spend a lot of money on a premium 32GB memory kit.

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The current distribution between DDR4 and DDR5 memory types reveals that DDR4 remains the dominant memory standard at 54.5%. In contrast, DDR5, despite being the latest memory technology, is still in its early adoption phase at 32.9%. DDR4 has been the de facto standard for almost a decade now, so it will take time for DDR5 to overtake it.

Nonetheless, the noticeable 6% growth in DDR4 and 2.9% decline in DDR5 suggests budget-conscious consumers are sticking with platforms that still embrace DDR4, such as AMD's Zen 3-powered Ryzen 5000 (codenamed Vermeer) or Intel's 13th Generation Raptor Lake processors. CPU-Z's processor charts show a significant increase in Zen 3 chips, including the Ryzen 7 5700X, Ryzen 5 5600, and Ryzen 5 5500, with figures up to 42.8%, 36.1%, and 67.3%, respectively.

Although both DDR4 and DDR5 have increased in price, the former remains slightly more affordable. Companies are supporting the effort too, such as AMD rereleasing the Ryzen 7 5800X3D, vendors restarting DDR4 and DDR4 motherboard production, or Intel preparing rewarmed Raptor Lake Next chips for 2027.

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