AI server demand is squeezing memory supply, and PC parts are getting pricier and harder to buy.
Big tech’s AI appetite has already hammered standalone RAM kits, with prices up 300 or 400 per cent by the end of 2025, and SSD prices are creeping up. Now the GPU market is starting to wobble, after Asus accidentally suggested it was discontinuing the GeForce RTX 5070 Ti, before trying to walk the idea back.
If you are a GPU maker, binning or sidelining the RTX 5070 Ti has a cold logic to it, since it uses 16GB of GDDR7 and a cut-down version of Nvidia’s GB203.
That is the same chip and the same RAM load as the RTX 5080, so the temptation is to funnel parts into a $999 MSRP card instead of a $749 one.
Street prices show why the bean-counters are grinning: RTX 5070 Ti models start around $1,050 to $1,100 on Newegg, and RTX 5080 cards start around $1,500 to $1,600.
Even allowing for chunkier boards and heatsinks on the 5080, shifting scarce memory to higher-priced cards boosts profit per GPU.
Either way, it is grim if you want a card that can do 4K without leaning hard on upscaling, since many models are selling for 40 or 50 per cent more than MSRP.
The least awful news is that low-end to midrange options for 1080p and 1440p are still closer to sane, at least for now.
The regular RTX 5070 is hovering around $560 or $570, just above its $549 MSRP, and the Radeon RX 9070 is in a similar spot at about $580 versus $549.
The RX 9060 XT 16GB is about $400 off its $349 MSRP, the GeForce RTX 5060 is still showing at its $300 MSRP, and the RX 9070 XT is worse at roughly $730 to $750.
SSDs are getting dragged into it too, especially at higher capacities, where the big-name drives are either scarce or wildly marked up.
A 1TB internal M.2 SSD from a familiar brand now tends to land in the $120 to $150 range, while decent 2TB drives can still appear near $230. Big-brand 2TB models are going missing or going silly, with Best Buy calling a $370 2TB SN7100 a “deal” because it is marked down from $490.
A 2TB Samsung 990 Evo Plus is being listed at around $440, even though Amazon had it at $177 in mid-December, which makes that “deal” tag read like a practical joke.
At 4TB, you can still find semi-reasonable options like a $360 SiliconPower UD90 or a $345 Crucial P310, while the usual safe defaults are often out of stock.
Even old-fashioned spinning drives are creeping up, with a 6TB WD Red NAS drive moving from $140 in August 2025 to $160 now, and bigger IronWolf models nudging higher too.
CamelCamelCamel’s pricing history suggests the regular sales dried up after September, which is how “stable pricing” becomes the new normal.
