High-capacity DDR5 has entered a new price tier in China, and it's not a small bump. Two kits from Asgard, the Thor 192 GB and Valkyrie 256 GB sets, are now selling for more than NVIDIA's flagship GeForce RTX 5090 D V2.
On JD, the 256 GB Valkyrie kit is listed at 16,999 RMB. NVIDIA's 5090 D V2 carries an official MSRP of 16,499 RMB. That means a single desktop memory kit now costs about 500 RMB more than the fastest gaming GPU available in the region.
The Thor kit lands lower, but it's still not cheap. It's priced at 8,599 RMB, which converts to around £920.
Asgard built both kits around SK Hynix M-die, a popular choice for high-density modules.
• **Thor 192 GB**: four 48 GB sticks, rated at 6000 MT/s, with CL28-36-36-72 timings.
• **Valkyrie 256 GB**: four 64 GB sticks, also at 6000 MT/s, with looser CL32-45-45-90 timings.
The focus here isn't top-end speed. It's the capacity for users who want workstation-level memory on mainstream desktop platforms.
When the Valkyrie 256 GB kit debuted, it was listed at 14,599 RMB, or about £1,550. Asgard has already pushed it to 16,999 RMB, roughly £1,810. The speed of that increase shows how quickly DRAM vendors can move when demand rises and supply gets tight.
The UK market isn't immune either. PC Part Picker doesn't show any 256 GB desktop kits at the moment, but [Corsair's 192 GB set](https://go.corsair.com/Z6kmnk) (four 48 GB modules) is already above £2,140. That puts it past the RTX 5090's UK MSRP, too.
A few months ago, [192 GB and 256 GB DDR5 kits](https://amzn.to/44g9zSq) could often be found for under £750. That era is gone. The current AI boom has pushed demand for all types of DRAM higher, and ongoing shortages have made it worse. Memory makers are raising prices across both consumer and server segments.
There's also a supply-side shift. Companies like [Micron are stepping back from parts of the consumer market](https://stock-checker.com/articles/micron-retires-crucial-what-it-means-for-pc-builders-727837.html), leaving fewer manufacturers to carry the load. With less competition and greater demand, pricing power shifts to vendors.
If you need high-capacity DDR5, be ready to pay workstation-class prices. At the moment, a top-end memory kit can cost more than a next-generation flagship GPU. And unless supply improves, this may not be the peak.
Prices that exceed a top GPU
On JD, the 256 GB Valkyrie kit is listed at 16,999 RMB. NVIDIA's 5090 D V2 carries an official MSRP of 16,499 RMB. That means a single desktop memory kit now costs about 500 RMB more than the fastest gaming GPU available in the region.
The Thor kit lands lower, but it's still not cheap. It's priced at 8,599 RMB, which converts to around £920.
What you get for that money
Asgard built both kits around SK Hynix M-die, a popular choice for high-density modules.
• **Thor 192 GB**: four 48 GB sticks, rated at 6000 MT/s, with CL28-36-36-72 timings.
• **Valkyrie 256 GB**: four 64 GB sticks, also at 6000 MT/s, with looser CL32-45-45-90 timings.
The focus here isn't top-end speed. It's the capacity for users who want workstation-level memory on mainstream desktop platforms.
Rapid price movement
When the Valkyrie 256 GB kit debuted, it was listed at 14,599 RMB, or about £1,550. Asgard has already pushed it to 16,999 RMB, roughly £1,810. The speed of that increase shows how quickly DRAM vendors can move when demand rises and supply gets tight.
The UK market isn't immune either. PC Part Picker doesn't show any 256 GB desktop kits at the moment, but [Corsair's 192 GB set](https://go.corsair.com/Z6kmnk) (four 48 GB modules) is already above £2,140. That puts it past the RTX 5090's UK MSRP, too.
Why prices climbed so fast
A few months ago, [192 GB and 256 GB DDR5 kits](https://amzn.to/44g9zSq) could often be found for under £750. That era is gone. The current AI boom has pushed demand for all types of DRAM higher, and ongoing shortages have made it worse. Memory makers are raising prices across both consumer and server segments.
There's also a supply-side shift. Companies like [Micron are stepping back from parts of the consumer market](https://stock-checker.com/articles/micron-retires-crucial-what-it-means-for-pc-builders-727837.html), leaving fewer manufacturers to carry the load. With less competition and greater demand, pricing power shifts to vendors.
The bottom line
If you need high-capacity DDR5, be ready to pay workstation-class prices. At the moment, a top-end memory kit can cost more than a next-generation flagship GPU. And unless supply improves, this may not be the peak.