The number of PCs running 64GB of memory has dropped 18% in a year, according to usage figures from CPU-Z, the free hardware-info tool. It is the first time the program’s data has shown PC memory capacity going backwards, and the developer ties it to rising RAM prices.
CPU-Z’s developer said on X that 32GB machines also slipped, by 2.5%. The tool only counts computers where it is installed and running, so the numbers describe its own user base, not retail sales.
Smaller kits are gaining instead. Systems with 16GB of RAM rose 12.9%, 8GB systems grew 5.5% after years of decline, and 24GB machines jumped 19.7%. That last size is a compromise for people who want more than 16GB without paying for a 32GB kit. In absolute terms, 32GB is still the biggest group at 37.2% of CPU-Z users, followed by 16GB at 33%. Systems with 8GB make up 11%, 64GB 7.3% and 24GB just 2.3%.
CPU-Z, from the software maker CPUID, is a free program that lists the processor, motherboard and memory inside a PC, which is why its user base is a useful if lopsided sample. In its yearly comparison, the larger capacity groups shrank for the first time.
Memory type is shifting too. DDR4 is still the most common standard at 54.5% and grew by 6%, while DDR5 holds 32.9% and fell 2.9%. DDR4 kits remain somewhat cheaper than DDR5, although both have become dearer as AI data centres soak up a large share of global DRAM output.
The processor charts point the same way. Older platforms that take DDR4, such as AMD’s Zen 3 Ryzen 5000 chips and Intel’s 13th-generation Core series, are gaining share, and three budget Ryzen chips in particular, the 5700X, 5600 and 5500, are among the fastest risers. The supply side has noticed. DDR4 lines are reportedly running again at some vendors, and AMD brought the 5800X3D back to shelves. Rumours also say Intel will ship a rewarmed Raptor Lake in 2027.
Anyone planning an upgrade can read the trend plainly. With 16GB and 32GB covering seven in ten CPU-Z users, buyers appear to be settling on those two sizes rather than stretching to 64GB, and DDR4 platforms are gaining ground against DDR5. The survey cannot say why people chose as they did, but rising prices are the reason the developer points to.
CPU-Z’s numbers are a sample, so a one-year move of 18% in a small group like 64GB users could shift again next year. Memory prices, not CPU-Z’s counts, are the number to watch before buying.
