Framework Raises DDR5 Prices By 50%, Accuses Apple & Dell Of Price Gouging
Framework is on a mission to change the status quo when it comes to laptops, having introduced several modular models with replaceable parts that go beyond the DIY boundaries of what is typical for a laptop. Be that as it may, Framework is susceptible to the same market conditions as everyone else. As a result, it's being forced to raise DDR5 prices as it navigates a "volatile memory market."
"Today, we increased our pricing on the DDR5 memory configurable in Framework Laptop DIY Edition orders by 50% to begin to respond to the substantially higher costs we are facing from suppliers and distributors. The new pricing remains below what is available in the open market," Framework announced this morning.
The good news is that existing preorders are unaffected by the price hike. Framework also notes that it has "not yet" updated pricing on its prebuilt laptops and Framework Desktop that come configured with memory, which "makes the 128GB config of Framework Desktop a bargain."
On the flip side, the bad news is that there's a strong chance this is just the beginning, with more price hikes to come.
"The memory market is currently extremely volatile and we expect costs from our suppliers to continue to increase over the next weeks and months. It is highly likely that we will need to make further price updates on both DDR5 modules and on our systems that come with memory, whether DDR5, LPDDR5X, or GDDR," Framework says.
We are going to need to increase our memory pricing soon, but we won’t use this as an excuse to gouge customers like @Dell apparently has and that @Apple does as their norm.
— Framework (@FrameworkPuter) December 9, 2025
Framework's 50% price hike comes four days after it warned on social media that this day was coming. At the same time, it accused Dell of using the current market situation as an "excuse to gouge customers," and said "Apple does this as the norm." Talk about shots fired!
To be fair, Dell is offering some enticing deals on its PCs at the moment, including big discounts on its Alienware gaming systems. Likewise, Apple's latest-generation MacBook Air models are often discounted, with the baseline configuration frequently selling for $749 (as it is now), which is a great price and $250 below Apple's MSRP.
Framework's point, however, is that it can be extra pricey to jump from one tier of hardware to the next. The situation is bound to get worse, too, with Framework explaining that a "massive supply and demand imbalance for memory" currently exists because of booming demand for AI hardware in the data center.
"A single rack of NVIDIA’s GB300 solution uses 20TB of HBM3E and 17TB of LPDDR5X. That’s enough LPDDR5x for a thousand laptops, and an AI-focused datacenter is loaded with thousands of these racks!," Framework says.
"On the supply side, the memory industry since its inception decades ago has gone through repeated boom and bust cycles, making the three main surviving memory die makers Micron, SK hynix, and Samsung hesitant to speculatively invest the billions of dollars needed for fabrication capacity expansion. Now that the demand exists again, there is a years-long lag time to catch up on supply," Framework adds.
Even worse, Framework states in a blog post that both existing and new capacity is being prioritized for more lucrative data center clients. In short, it's a crummy situation and it will be a while before it gets better.
