DDR3 and its compatible motherboards are making a return to the Chinese DIY market, with reports indicating rapid growth fuelled by demand for low-cost PCs. According to a report from Board Channels, DDR3 motherboard popularity has undergone up to a 3x increase in demand.
Amid the ongoing severe memory shortage, which sent DDR5 prices soaring to the moon quicker than Artemis III, Chinese users are turning back to good ol’ DDR3 platforms to fulfil their needs. The standard, first introduced in 2007, is becoming the only option for budget users to have a good amount of memory almost two decades after release.
“There is one major trend worth watching: DDR3 motherboard sales are growing quickly. This may be driven by a rebound in demand for lower-priced builds. Bundles that pair DDR3 motherboards with 6th to 9th gen CPUs are selling well. Based on recent information from domestic motherboard brands, DDR3 motherboard volumes are rising fast, showing a rapid growth trend of roughly 2 to 3 times or more.” – Board Channels (translation).
At the time of writing, the cheapest low-speed 32GB DDR5 kits demand £358.49 at Scan Computers, whereas the same capacity on DDR3 costs only £145.96. Things get even cheaper for those who don’t mind going through eBay and second-hand markets, where you could snag 32GB (4x8GB) of DDR3 for less than £75.
To get an idea of just how ridiculous DDR5 prices have become, I’ve captured the screen grabs below, showing how the same Corsair Vengeance kit has jumped by more than 5x in the span of a year.
While consumer DDR3 maxes out at 8GB per module, against 32GB for DDR4 and 64GB for DDR5, DDR3 can be paired with cheap X79 HEDT platforms that support up to eight DIMMs in quad-channel mode. Filling all slots affords 64GB of total memory, and you can even find dual-socket server boards with 24 DIMMs on Chinese retail sites. All this is to say that if memory capacity is more important than CPU performance, DDR3 platforms are suddenly relevant again.
In recent months, users in need of new machines opted for DDR4 as it was less impacted by growing prices, while others installed SODIMM DDR5 memory using SODIMM-to-DIMM adapters. However, due to demand, stock of these cheaply available workarounds has started to dwindle, forcing users to look elsewhere. It’s 2026, but DDR3 may soon become the most cost-effective option for a new PC. A truly surreal state of affairs.
