Graphics card prices rising in Europe: Memory crisis already tangible

The European graphics card market at the beginning of 2026 is showing a noticeable price increase across almost the entire range of current NVIDIA and AMD models. This is indicated by data from price aggregators and industry sources, including IXBT and TechRadar.

What Is Happening to Graphics Card Prices

The GeForce RTX 5060 Ti with 16 GB of memory is now offered on average from 520 euros, compared with 480 to 490 euros at the end of December. The RTX 5070 has risen to 580 euros from 550 euros, and the RTX 5070 Ti now starts at around 880 euros, which is almost 100 euros more in just three weeks. The flagship RTX 5080 costs about 1200 to 1250 euros instead of roughly 1000 euros before. The sharpest jump is seen in the RTX 5090, whose price has increased from 2900 euros to 3500 euros.

AMD’s lineup is also getting more expensive. The Radeon RX 9060 XT with 16 GB of memory has gone from 360 euros to 400 euros, the RX 9070 from 550 euros to 600 euros, and the RX 9070 XT from 630 euros to 670 euros.

The main reason is the ongoing crisis in the memory market. Manufacturers of DRAM and NAND chips are redirecting production capacity toward the needs of major AI companies, which is causing shortages and rising prices for consumer components.

RAM Stabilization, but at Peak Levels

The system memory market is showing the first signs of stabilization, but at record-high levels. According to TechRadar, prices for popular 32 GB DDR5-5600 and DDR5-6000 kits have stopped rising and have settled around 800 to 900 US dollars. For comparison, in autumn 2025 similar kits cost just over 200 dollars.

In the Russian market, the trend is similar. Price growth has slowed, and in some cases slight declines have appeared. For example, the ADATA XPG Lancer Blade DDR5-6000 32 GB kit can now be found for about 43 thousand rubles, compared with 45 thousand rubles at the beginning of January.

This stabilization is explained not by an improvement in supply, but by cooling demand, as buyers have simply stopped actively purchasing memory at current prices.

The Impact of the Memory Crisis on Graphics Cards and the Outlook

The memory crisis directly affects graphics cards, since the larger the amount of VRAM in a model, the higher its production cost becomes. That is why Europe is already seeing shortages of higher-end configurations, especially those with 16 GB of memory and more, while entry-level models with 8 GB remain more affordable.

Analysts expect that in the coming months the situation with NAND and DRAM will continue to push graphics card prices upward, especially in the upper-mid and high-end segments. Manufacturers may reduce the production of models with large amounts of memory or raise recommended retail prices.

In Brief

At the beginning of 2026, NVIDIA and AMD graphics cards in Europe have become 8 to 20 percent more expensive depending on the model, as a direct result of the ongoing memory crisis. The RAM market has stabilized at peak levels of 800 to 900 dollars for 32 GB of DDR5, while demand for components used in AI accelerators continues to limit supplies of consumer chips. Further price growth for graphics cards in the coming months appears highly likely.