DDR4 memory crashes 16% in April while DDR5 climbs — which should you buy for your build?

DDR4 memory prices crashed 16% in April while DDR5 climbed 2.8% in the same period, as Samsung, SK Hynix, and Micron shut down DDR4 production lines and tightened supply.

Opened my shopping cart this weekend to upgrade the rig. DDR4 finally dropped, but DDR5 keeps climbing. Memory's been on a tear for nearly a year—spot prices up 5 to 10 times over last year. A 16% drop on DDR4 offers some breathing room, at least.

The timing's awkward. Samsung and the other majors already killed DDR4 production. Supply's shrinking, and we've already seen DDR4 flip more expensive than DDR5 at points. DDR4's cheaper now, but finding it six months from now might be a different story. DDR5 costs more but supply's stable, which matters if you're planning to keep the build running.

If you're just gaming on weekends, DDR4's the value play right now. But if you're building for three to five years out, bite the bullet and go DDR5. AI CPU memory requirements jumped from 96-256GB straight to 300-400GB, and DDR5 supply shortages are now expected to stretch from 2026 into 2027. Prices aren't getting better anytime soon.

Tight budget? Grab DDR4 while it's down. Got the cash? Go DDR5 and skip the regret later. Either way, memory doesn't get cheaper by waiting.