Memory crisis reaches the end customer market: First gaming PCs are sold without DDR5 RAM

At the end of 2025, the market for DDR5 memory is in a tense exceptional situation, which is having an increasingly direct impact on the sale of complete systems. The main driver of this development is the sharp rise in demand from the AI segment, which requires large quantities of memory for data centers and specialized accelerators. At the same time, several memory manufacturers have shifted some of their production capacity to higher-margin products such as HBM memory and server modules. For the traditional PC market, this has resulted in a noticeable shortage of DDR5 modules, accompanied by sharply rising prices at wholesale and end customer level.

As an immediate reaction to this situation, the US system builder Paradox Customs has started to offer gaming PCs without pre-installed DDR5 RAM as an option. In the company’s own configurator, buyers can deliberately choose not to select RAM modules and receive the system without RAM. According to the company, this offer is aimed in particular at customers who already own compatible DDR5 modules or would like to procure them themselves. The background to this is the currently very high purchase prices, which are making it increasingly difficult for system integrators to offer economically calculated complete systems.

This approach illustrates the growing economic pressure on smaller and medium-sized system builders. High purchase commitments to suppliers combined with highly volatile storage prices increase the risk of purchasing hardware at conditions that can hardly be passed on to end customers. For buyers, the new model means more flexibility and potentially lower entry costs, but also additional effort and a higher level of technical understanding, as the independent installation of DDR5 memory requires basic knowledge.

At the same time, end customers are increasingly reluctant to make new purchases. Many users are postponing the construction of new systems or using existing hardware in the hope that the market will ease at a later date. According to estimates by market research companies such as TrendForce and Bernstein, the peak of the storage crisis may not be reached until the end of 2026. Accordingly, price reductions are not expected until 2027 at the earliest, provided that additional production capacities are built up and demand from the AI environment weakens. These forecasts are based on current market data, but cannot be conclusively verified.

Conclusion

The sale of gaming PCs without DDR5 memory marks an unusual but understandable cut in the traditional end customer business. It shows how strongly the current memory crisis is now affecting the consumer market and putting established sales models under pressure. No easing is foreseeable in the short term, meaning that both system integrators and end customers must continue to expect high price volatility and limited availability.