DDR5 RAM has just started being available on mainstream computing platforms starting with Alder Lake and the Z690 chipset. However, if you've been looking to upgrade to this platform you should be prepared to pay a bit more than expected.
According to Seeking Alpha, memory manufacturer Micron has stated in an earnings call that supply on the components that go into making RAM kits is in short supply, which will mean a shortage of DDR5 RAM, which is in high demand now that it's available on mainstream platforms.
And while the report doesn't directly mention the price of the memory kits you'll see in your local big box store, it's the same kind of thing that's happening with the best graphics cards, so you should expect to see prices go up until the situation improves.
Luckily, supply is expected to improve in the second half of 2022, hopefully before AMD launches a competitor to Alder Lake - whenever Team Red is ready to do so. And considering that DDR5 memory is only available on one desktop platform right now, we would expect the situation to get worse, especially as DDR5 starts to become available on laptops.
We haven't heard any word of laptops using the new memory standard yet, but mobile chipsets are never far behind their desktop counterparts, so we suspect we'll see some news on that front at CES 2022.
Via KitGuru
