DDR4 RAM: the smart buy in July 2026 as prices soar

The RAM market is going through a turbulent period. Driven by demand from AI data centers, DDR5 has seen its prices climb since the end of 2025: a 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) 6000 MT/s kit now trades at around €340 on Amazon France, a level not seen in years. In this context, the best deal in July is not necessarily found in the latest technologies.

DDR4 remains (for now) spared

While DDR5 is skyrocketing, DDR4 kits remain significantly more affordable. A 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) 3200 MT/s CL16 kit has still been found recently between €45 and €70 depending on the brand at French retailers and on community platforms like Dealabs. A 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) 3200 MT/s kit, sufficient for the majority of 1080p gaming configurations, drops even lower.

Be careful, however: several indicators show that DDR4 prices are also starting to rise, with stocks dwindling at certain retailers. Global production is gradually shifting towards DDR5, which mechanically thins out the DDR4 supply. If you have a compatible platform, waiting is likely not the best strategy.

Who is concerned by DDR4 in 2026?

DDR4 still concerns a huge portion of the installed base and PCs currently sold:

• AMD AM4 platforms: Ryzen 5 5500, Ryzen 5 5600GT, Ryzen 7 5700X... all work exclusively with DDR4.
• Intel LGA1700 platforms with DDR4: many motherboards for i3-13100F, i5-12400F, or i5-14400F are equipped with DDR4 slots, a choice that helps keep the machine's overall price in check.
• Upgrading an existing PC: going from 16 to 32 GB on a DDR4 machine remains the upgrade with the best comfort-to-price ratio, especially for multitasking and recent memory-hungry games.

Useful reminder: only AM5 platforms (Ryzen 7000 and later) require DDR5. If your motherboard is DDR4, there is no need to pay the high price of DDR5.

How to spot a real RAM bargain

A few simple reflexes to buy at the right price during a period of rising costs:

• Compare multiple retailers: Amazon and Cdiscount practice dynamic pricing that varies from one day to the next, while LDLC, Materiel.net, and Top Achat are more stable but often a notch more expensive.
• Monitor price history: a tool like Keepa allows you to verify that a displayed "promo" corresponds to a real drop.
• Aim for the right kit: in DDR4, a 2 x 8 GB or 2 x 16 GB 3200 MT/s CL16 kit in dual channel is the ideal balance point between price and gaming performance.
• Avoid single channel: two identical sticks offer a real performance gain compared to a single stick of equivalent capacity.

Our advice for July 2026

If your current configuration or future PC relies on a DDR4 platform, now is the time to buy or supplement your memory, before the scarcity of supply pushes prices up as is already the case with DDR5. Conversely, if you are targeting an AM5 platform with DDR5, it is better to include the memory in the machine's overall budget rather than buying it alone at a premium price.

At DSGate, our gaming PCs assembled in France on AM4 and Intel platforms use dual-channel DDR4, precisely to offer balanced configurations without breaking the budget. Discover our gaming PC configurations and take advantage of machines designed for the best performance-to-price ratio of the moment.