The million-dollar question for every developer building or upgrading their workstation: buy RAM now or wait for prices to drop?
This isn't financial advice — this is practical purchasing strategy for developers who have a real productivity need.
The key factors:
How much is insufficient RAM costing you in productivity?
vs
How much would you save by waiting 3-6 months?
vs
What's the probability prices go up vs down in that period?
DDR5-5600 32GB Kit: $145-162
DDR5-6000 32GB Kit: $158-175
DDR5-6400 32GB Kit: $170-185
Peak probability: High. We're at or near the cycle top.
Expected direction: Sideways to down over next 2-3 quarters.
Expected timeframe for meaningful drop: Q4 2026 - Q1 2027.
Expected magnitude: 15-25% from current prices.
32GB DDR5-6000 at 130 in Q1 2027 (hypothetical 21% drop):
At developer hourly rates, $35 is less than 1 hour of work. If insufficient RAM costs you even 30 minutes of productivity per month over 10 months, waiting was a net negative.
Buy DDR4 used. DDR4 32GB kits are ~$42-55 right now. If your platform supports DDR4, this is the best value per GB on the market by a wide margin. When DDR6 launches and DDR5 corrects, sell your DDR4 and upgrade. The price difference barely covers the hassle.
For most developers: Buy what you need when you need it. The productivity cost of waiting exceeds the savings unless you're very close to a natural upgrade window (new CPU, new build).