With the Ryzen 7000 series on the horizon, DDR5 RAM pricing starts to become more affordable.

Since the launch of DDR5 RAM earlier this year, the pricing has been just as high as the clock speeds. However, the price has been dropping slowly as it reaches a more affordable price range. Some of the more basic kits are selling for about $6-7 USD per gigabyte, which is approximately $120-$130 USD. While still more expensive than DDR4, this is a lot better than the $500-$1000USD price range that was more common at the start of the year. This should make DDR5 a more commonly used option for PC builders, which works out well for AMD enthusiasts with their new Zen 4 CPUs only running on DDR5 RAM.

This price decrease has been seen in both the US and throughout Europe, so we can expect this drop in price in South Africa as well. The only thing to keep in mind is that if you want to get DDR5 RAM with timings to match DDR4, then you’re going to be paying a premium for it. At the moment, the best priced 16GB DDR5 kits come from Crucial, Kingston and Patriot, with 4800MHz kits starting at $110-$120 USD. Better performing 16GB kits are in the 5100-5600MHz range and are priced from $120-$180 USD.

The best bang for your buck at the moment can be found in 32GB kits. A 5200-5600MHz kit with CL timings of 34 or 36 can reach prices of $250 USD, with 6000MHz kits surpassing prices of $300 USD.

As things stand, DDR4 RAM still offers a better cost-performance balance, yet if the current drop in DDR5 pricing continues, by the time the Ryzen 7000 series hits the shelves later this year DDR5 will be more affordable and worth while.