Non-binary RAM kits might be the secret to beating surging DDR5 prices – get 48GB of memory for less than 32GB

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Everyone is looking for a good deal on DDR5, and they’re hard to come by due to skyrocketing pricing and a massive shortage that only worsens by the day. We’ve seen a random motherboard fly off the shelves because it included a free kit of DDR5 over the holiday weekend, and prebuilts are cheaper than DIY desktops, even with Cyber Monday deals aplenty. The key to finding a DDR5 deal might not be refreshing the same listings over and over until the price magically drops. It might be looking in the corner of the shelf for a non-binary kit.

Over the holiday weekend, we’ve seen a shift away from the traditional 32GB and 64GB kits toward 48GB and 96GB kits, with the latter batch often competing (or outright beating) the more popular capacities on price. It looks like retailers, resellers, and buyers are catching on. Cheap 48GB and 96GB kits aren’t as common as they were a few days ago, but if you’re looking to score the absolute best deal on a kit of DDR5, you should look into your non-binary options.

Here’s the situation right now: A good deal on a 32GB kit of DDR5 is better than a regular deal on a 48GB kit. A couple of days ago, you could save $100 or more on a 48GB kit compared to a 32GB kit, but that ship has sailed for now. As the options dwindle, non-binary kits offer more capacity for around the same price, or give you an alternative route to picking up a kit that’s otherwise out of stock.

Here’s a good example. On Newegg, you can pick up a 48GB Corsair Vengeance RGB DDR5-5200 kit for $380 from a third-party seller. It’s below the “sweet spot” of DDR5-6000 and comes with a fairly high CAS latency for the transfer rate at 38, but it’s cheaper than buying a comparable 32GB kit.

At 32GB, the Corsair Vengeance RGB DDR5-6000 CL38 kit is $405. You can find cheaper DDR5 kits, especially on a good sale – our Managing Editor Matt Safford spotted a 32GB kit around $200 a few hours ago, which unsurprisingly sold out immediately. But, in this case, you’re getting more memory for less money. The price per gigabyte calculation on memory doesn’t hold up as it does on SSDs, but when RAM prices are continuing to skyrocket with no sign of slowing down, you have to fudge the numbers to justify a purchase.

The best case scenario, apart from deep sales, is that you can find a better non-binary kit for around the same price as a binary kit. That’s the situation with Crucial Pro memory right now. A 32GB kit of DDR5-6400 CL38 is selling on Amazon for $389. The DDR5-6400 CL32 kit is sold out.

On B&H, the Teamgroup T-Create Expert 48GB kit is selling for $389, and it not only has the same 6400 MT/s transfer rate, but also a lower CAS latency at 32. That’s lower latency, more capacity, and the exact same price. Depending on what kit you compare this Teamgroup kit to, it actually ends up cheaper. A lot of 32GB kits are selling for north of $400 right now.

Non-binary memory with 24Gb dies are more insulated from the surging cost of DRAM modules than traditional 16Gb dies. AI and its demand for HBM is the current named culprit of the RAM shortage, but regardless of whether you look at the consumer or enterprise market, the reason for the insulation of 24Gb dies is the same: 16Gb dies are much more common.

With the pricing tides raging, suppliers and resellers are catching onto the pricing discrepancy between binary and non-binary kits. However, the binary kits are likely going to see the largest and most immediate shifts in pricing and supply. As we all continue to weather the storm of DDR5 prices, I suspect non-binary memory will lag behind binary memory, if only by a few days.

Unfortunately, it’s hard to confirm that hunch. DRAMeXchange doesn’t maintain spot prices for 24Gb dies. However, that’s further evidence that 16Gb dies make the DRAM world go round right now, opening up opportunities to save on non-binary kits.

Suppliers are warning that the DRAM market surge is only just beginning, and that it will continue into at least 2026 and maybe beyond. If demand keeps pace, it could be until 2028 before the pricing situation clears up as memory manufacturers build out production capacity.

If you happen to spot a deal on a non-binary kit of memory, you’re safe to use it with current AMD and Intel platforms. You may need to perform a BIOS update, however, so make sure to check compatibility with your motherboard.

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Jake Roach is the Senior CPU Analyst at Tom’s Hardware, writing reviews, news, and features about the latest consumer and workstation processors.