DDR5 RAM prices in Japan's Akihabara district have hit a wild new level, with one 128GB kit priced at ¥514,800, or roughly $2,872. Akiba PC's latest shop check found that the DDR5-6000 set, made up of two 64GB sticks, had gone way up after a fresh batch hit stores.
Here's where the math gets nasty. The same kit went for ¥316,980 in a prior check. That puts the jump at ¥197,820, or 62.4%. And the older price of ¥59,800 makes it look even worse, as the new tag marks a 760.9% rise in just over a year.
For context, ¥500,000 used to be enough for a gaming rig with an RTX 5090 or at least an RTX 5080. Yet a buyer can burn through that kind of cash on RAM alone. Pretty wild for a part that still needs the rest of a PC to do much.
Regular 64GB kits aren't getting much relief either. A pair of 32GB DDR5-6400 sticks had a low price of ¥139,980, or about $781. DDR5-5600 came in at ¥104,980, near $586. Even DDR5-4800 hit ¥125,800, close to $702, after a ¥11,000 jump.
There's one catch, though. These are shop prices from a small set of stores in Akihabara, not a full look at Japan's RAM market. Stock levels and store deals can shift the numbers quite a bit. And a new batch of parts may not land at the same price as the last one.
Still, the price hikes aren't just a problem for those after huge RAM kits. Several common speeds and sizes have taken a hit, which makes it harder for PC builders to find a fair deal. Anyone shopping for memory in that area has good reason to check more than one store before paying.
Here's where the math gets nasty. The same kit went for ¥316,980 in a prior check. That puts the jump at ¥197,820, or 62.4%. And the older price of ¥59,800 makes it look even worse, as the new tag marks a 760.9% rise in just over a year.
For context, ¥500,000 used to be enough for a gaming rig with an RTX 5090 or at least an RTX 5080. Yet a buyer can burn through that kind of cash on RAM alone. Pretty wild for a part that still needs the rest of a PC to do much.
Regular 64GB kits aren't getting much relief either. A pair of 32GB DDR5-6400 sticks had a low price of ¥139,980, or about $781. DDR5-5600 came in at ¥104,980, near $586. Even DDR5-4800 hit ¥125,800, close to $702, after a ¥11,000 jump.
There's one catch, though. These are shop prices from a small set of stores in Akihabara, not a full look at Japan's RAM market. Stock levels and store deals can shift the numbers quite a bit. And a new batch of parts may not land at the same price as the last one.
Still, the price hikes aren't just a problem for those after huge RAM kits. Several common speeds and sizes have taken a hit, which makes it harder for PC builders to find a fair deal. Anyone shopping for memory in that area has good reason to check more than one store before paying.
