MAINGEAR has decided to counter the rising cost and shortage of DDR5 memory by introducing a BYO RAM option, allowing customers to order a fully assembled PC without built-in memory. In recent months, DDR5 prices have gone from a phase of mild oscillations to unpredictable and extreme jumps, because a large part of the chips goes to the needs of AI infrastructure and servers, leaving gamers and enthusiasts in an unenviable position.
The situation is so difficult that RAM DDR5 modules are almost non-existent, even if you have the money and are ready to pay the current prices, they are simply not available.
Because of this, the manufacturers of ready-made computers found themselves in “unharmed grapes” and tried in every way to amortize price increases, but with continuous jumps it is no longer feasible. MAINGEAR’s solution is to completely exclude the memory from the configuration. Users can supply their own compatible DDR5 kit or buy it separately and send it in for installation, after which the system goes through standard validation before shipping.
Why is MAINGEAR moving to a BYO RAM strategy?
This approach allows customers to find more favorable offers, use existing RAM or avoid the highest price shocks imposed by configurators. MAINGEAR states that BYO RAM has been introduced to ensure that PC shipments continue without interruption despite the current state of the market.
In the official announcement, the company points out that “DDR5 price has become unpredictable and often brutally high”, while BYO RAM gives customers a smarter way: order the desired MAINGEAR system, and get the memory on your own terms (we just don’t know where), with full MAINGEAR assembly and validation quality. Every BYO RAM PC goes through the same tests as regular configurations, so the user still gets a full system check.
MAINGEAR believes that the combination of high AI demand, limited production and poor availability makes the DDR5 market extremely chaotic.