RAM is likely to stay expensive through most of 2026, and any meaningful drop looks more like a late-2026 to 2027 story than an immediate one. Current tracking shows DRAM spot prices still moving up, while recent market commentary says the broader memory crunch has not fully eased yet.

What’s driving it

  • AI/server demand is still soaking up memory supply, which keeps pressure on DRAM pricing.
  • Recent market updates describe tight supply and elevated prices persisting into early 2026.
  • Spot-price data from early July 2026 still shows increases in several DDR4 and DDR5 categories rather than a broad cooldown.

What that means for shoppers

  • If you need RAM now, waiting a few weeks probably won’t change much.
  • Bigger discounts are more likely when suppliers add capacity and demand cools, which analysts and market reports suggest may take longer than a single quarter.
  • Sales events can still produce short-lived dips, but they may not reflect a real market reset.

Practical read

  • Short answer: not soon.
  • Best-case window: late 2026.
  • Safer expectation: 2027 for a more noticeable return to lower prices.
Memory pricing can look “better” on one day and still be tight overall, so the trend matters more than a single discount.
If you want, I can also give you a quick “buy now vs wait” breakdown for DDR4 and DDR5 specifically.