Which RAM should you buy this week?
Start with the motherboard. It decides whether you need DDR5 or DDR4, and the two do not fit each other's slots. Then choose a capacity and sort the table by price per GB. The lowest sticker price is usually the smallest kit, and the lowest price per GB is often a size you do not need.
For most PCs the choice is 16GB or 32GB. The cheapest 16GB DDR5 desktop kit is £179.99 (ADATA XPG Lancer Blade EXPO/XMP 16GB (1x16GB) DDR5 C40 4800MHz Single Channel Kit, Black at Overclockers UK), and the cheapest 32GB DDR5 desktop kit is £394.97. Our 16GB and 32GB pages list every kit in those sizes. Every price here includes VAT, which is 20% on top of the net price, but delivery is extra and shows at checkout.
DDR5 or DDR4?
For a new build, DDR5: AMD AM5 and Intel Core Ultra 200S boards take nothing else. DDR4 is for anyone keeping an older board who only wants more capacity. UK shops stock far more DDR5 than DDR4 right now, with 443 DDR5 desktop kits in our data against 162 DDR4 kits, so the DDR4 choice is narrower. See the live tables for DDR5 and DDR4.
Why is RAM this expensive in the UK?
The cause is global, not local. Server memory for AI earns the makers more per wafer than desktop kits, so capacity moved there, and Micron announced in December 2025 that it was leaving the Crucial consumer business. TrendForce expects conventional DRAM contract prices to rise another 10 to 15% in the fourth quarter of 2026.
You can see the knock-on in finished devices. The Guardian reported in May 2026 that Sony raised the PS5 price by £90 and Apple raised the MacBook Air starting price by £100. We cover the full picture in our RAMageddon guide.
The prices here are for desktop modules. Laptop modules (SO-DIMM) are shorter and do not fit a desktop slot. Use the laptop RAM page if you are upgrading a notebook.