Frequently asked questions about ratioDB

The memory shortage is the sharp rise in prices for RAM, SSDs and hard drives. The main driver is demand from AI data centers, which buy a large share of manufacturers' output. ratioDB tracks the trend with its own numbers in the TB index of every group.

The major memory makers have shifted production toward AI data centers, so less RAM is left for retail. On ratioDB, the TB index for RAM changed by ▲ 3.0 % over the last 30 days. See all current prices under RAM prices.

SSDs use flash memory (NAND), and prices are rising there too. According to PC Games Hardware, SSD prices in Germany in mid-August 2026 were about 126 % above their mid-September 2025 level. On ratioDB, the TB index for SSDs is $118.71 per TB, ▲ 0.3 % over 30 days. See all current prices under SSD prices.

According to PC Games Hardware, none of the major forecasts expects falling prices before 2027. Analysts at Bernstein and Gartner name 2028 as the earliest year for a real decline (as of August 2026). The TB index history shows whether that holds.

The cheapest per TB right now is LTO tape at $10.64, but it requires a dedicated drive. For everyday storage without a tape drive or disc burner, hard drives at $35.00 per TB are the cheapest choice.

Every row shows its price timestamp with date and time. The last update ran on Oct 28, 2026 at 1:17 AM UTC. Amazon prices change constantly, and the price in your cart is what counts. Shipping and sales tax are not included.

No. Your watchlist and comparison are stored only in your browser. ratioDB creates no account. If you clear your browser data, the watchlist and comparison are gone too.

Amazon links are marked with an asterisk. If you buy through an affiliate link, ratioDB earns a small commission. Your price stays the same, and the default sort is by price per TB only.

A new hard drive on amazon.com starts at $23.08 per TB right now. The TB index for all new hard drives is $35.00 per TB, and for internal 3.5" drives $36.25 per TB (as of Oct 28, 2026).

AI and cloud data centers are buying large amounts of high-capacity storage. Western Digital said in February 2026 that its production capacity was sold out for the year. On ratioDB, the TB index for new hard drives changed by ▲ 2.0 % in the last 30 days.

1 TB is 10^12 bytes, 1 TiB is 2^40 bytes, about 1.0995 TB. Windows shows TiB but labels it "TB", so a 4 TB drive appears as about 3.64 "TB". No storage is missing, only the unit differs.

CMR (conventional recording) writes data tracks side by side and stays fast under sustained load. SMR (shingled recording) overlaps tracks like roof shingles, saves space and slows down during large writes. For NAS and RAID, CMR drives are considered the safe choice.

A used hard drive is often cheaper per TB, but it usually has no manufacturer warranty and unknown power-on hours. It can work for backups that have an extra copy. ratioDB labels every used listing and keeps it out of the TB index.

Sometimes. Right now the TB index is $42.62 per TB for external 3.5" drives and $36.25 for internal 3.5" drives. External drives contain a regular 3.5" drive. Some buyers remove it from the enclosure (shucking), which can void the warranty.

Every row shows its price timestamp with date and time. The last update ran on Oct 28, 2026 at 1:17 AM UTC. Amazon prices change constantly, and the price in your cart is what counts. Shipping and sales tax are not included.

The cheapest new 1 TB SSD on amazon.com costs $118.99 right now. A 1 TB NVMe SSD starts at $139.99 and a 1 TB external SSD at $118.99 (as of Oct 28, 2026).

Flash memory (NAND) is affected by the memory shortage just like RAM, because the major makers have shifted production toward AI data centers. According to PC Games Hardware, SSD prices in Germany in August 2026 were about 126 % above their mid-September 2025 level.

According to PC Games Hardware, none of the major forecasts expects falling memory prices before 2027. Analysts at Bernstein and Gartner name 2028 as the earliest year for a real decline (as of August 2026). The chart at the top of this page shows whether that holds.

Per TB right now yes: in the TB index, M.2 NVMe costs $132.05 per TB and the internal 2.5" SATA SSD $122.93 per TB. In return, NVMe is many times faster.

An SSD for the operating system, programs and games, because it is much faster. A hard drive for large amounts of data, because an SSD costs about 3.4 times as much per TB right now: $118.71 versus $35.00 per TB in the TB index.

Used SSDs start at $102.79 per TB right now, new SSDs at $95.00 per TB. With used SSDs, the data already written (TBW) and any remaining warranty are often unknown. ratioDB labels every used listing and keeps it out of the TB index.

TBW (terabytes written) is the amount of data the manufacturer guarantees over an SSD's lifetime. An SSD rated for 600 TBW can handle 600 TB of written data according to the manufacturer. For normal use, that usually lasts many years.

The major DRAM makers Samsung, SK Hynix and Micron have shifted production toward AI data centers, so less RAM is left for retail. On ratioDB, the index for DDR5 desktop RAM changed by ▲ 2.9 % over the last 30 days.

The RAM shortage is the sharp rise in memory prices caused by demand from AI data centers. According to PC Games Hardware, RAM in Germany was about 345 % above its pre-crisis price level in August 2026. It is part of a wider memory shortage that also affects SSDs and hard drives.

Right now the index for all RAM types changed by ▲ 3.0 % over the last 30 days. According to PC Games Hardware, none of the major forecasts expects falling prices before 2027 (as of August 2026). The chart at the top of this page shows every change day by day.

The cheapest new 32 GB DDR5 desktop kit costs $459.99 right now, a 32 GB DDR4 desktop kit $193.99. For laptops, 32 GB of DDR5 starts at $479.99 and 32 GB of DDR4 at $179.97 (as of Oct 28, 2026).

Your motherboard or laptop decides, because DDR4 and DDR5 do not fit the same slot. Per GB, DDR4 is cheaper right now: $6.51 versus $15.62 per GB for desktop RAM in the index.

Used RAM starts at $5.94 per GB right now, new RAM at $5.54 per GB. With used modules it is often unclear whether any warranty remains. ratioDB labels every used listing and keeps it out of the index.

UDIMM (unbuffered DIMM) is the long RAM module for desktop PCs, SODIMM (small outline DIMM) the short module for laptops and mini PCs. Both come as DDR4 and DDR5 and are not interchangeable.

The TB index is the median price per TB of the 10 cheapest new listings in a group or form factor, calculated for every day. It shows what storage realistically costs if you shop for a good price.

Multiply TiB by 1.0995, so 4 TiB are about 4.40 TB. The other way around, multiply TB by 0.9095, so 4 TB are about 3.64 TiB.

1 TB is 1,000 GB, which is how manufacturers and ratioDB count. In binary units, 1 TB is about 931.3 GiB, which is why Windows shows about 931 "GB" for a 1 TB drive.

Used and refurbished listings are often cheaper and fluctuate more. If they counted, the index would no longer show a clean new price. They still appear in the list, each one labeled.

The index value is the median of the 10 cheapest listings on a given day, while the percentage change only compares listings that had a price on both days. When a new cheap listing appears, the index value can drop while the percentage stays unaffected.

The 90-day low covers the same product in the same condition across all sellers. The daily price is the cheapest offer, Amazon included, without shipping. ratioDB never mixes new, used and refurbished.

No, all prices on ratioDB exclude shipping, and amazon.com prices also exclude sales tax. The price in your Amazon cart always counts.

The product list without prices is available under the CC BY 4.0 license as CSV and JSON, linked in the footer. Prices are not included because ratioDB is not allowed to redistribute them.