DDR5 RAM has recently become unaffordable due to its manufacturers turning attention to the AI buildout. Whereas you used to be able to spend anywhere between $100 and $200 for a boss kit of memory, prices have spiked well into the hundreds.
While the new normal seems to be ridiculous RAM prices, there are still some hidden gems that will allow you to get a new kit for the price it should be. The best deal right now is on this MSI B650 Gaming Plus WiFi motherboard and T-Force Delta 16GB DDR5 RAM bundle.
What sort of a PC can I build with this bundle?
With major memory manufacturers like Micron announcing that they're pulling out of the consumer market to focus on AI-related customers, the DDR5 RAM price crunch is really getting out of hand. That makes bundles like these so much more desirable.
Breaking down the package, you get an MSI B650 Gaming Plus WiFi motherboard, which supports both AMD Ryzen 7000 and the newer 9000 chips. It has a 12+2+1 duet power setup, it's covered in heatsinks, and it has Wi-Fi 6E built right in.
There's also a 2.5Gb Ethernet connection, multiple M.2 SSD slots, and four open channels for DDR5 RAM up to 6,000MHz.
That's perfect for the Team Group T-Force Delta DDR5-6000 RAM that's bundled with the board. It's a kit with two 8GB sticks inside, each with RGB lighting along the top edge. It's not like Newegg is bundling the cheapest RAM possible here. The RAM has 38-38-38-78 timings (for a CL38 latency), and it supports both Intel XMP and AMD EXPO overclocking.
We gave this exact RAM five stars and a Windows Central Best Award in our review, with Senior Editor Ben Wilson calling it "the best DDR5 RAM with RGB that you can buy."
You could certainly build a new PC with one of the latest Zen 5 AMD Ryzen CPUs in this system, or you could save some dough and go with a Ryzen 7000 chip, including the 7800X3D that's currently on sale for less than $400.
Newegg is also selling standalone 16GB T-Force RAM kits for $189.99, but why not grab the extra motherboard anyway? If you don't need it, you can always sell it or help a friend get a new build up and running.
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FAQ
Why are DDR5 RAM prices so high right now?
DDR5 RAM has recently spiked in price due to the AI buildout of datacenters around the world. RAM manufacturers realized they could make a lot more money charging AI firms for their hardware, which has created a squeeze on consumer-focused RAM.
Will RAM prices ever return to normal?
I can't say for sure what RAM prices will look like next week, never mind next year, but news that Micron has stopped manufacturing its Crucial RAM in order to focus on AI customers doesn't bode well.
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