Electronics hobbyist converts $120 DDR5 SODIMM kit into ‘$1000’ desktop kit to fight RAM crisis

What happened

According to Tom's Hardware on 20 October 2026, electronics hobbyist Blighted Agent converted a SK hynix 2x 16GB DDR5-5600 SODIMM (laptop memory) kit bought on Facebook Marketplace for $120 into a 2x 16GB DDR5-7800 desktop kit, claimed to be worth around $1,000, by removing the memory ICs with a hot air station, adding 0.45mm leaded solder balls, mounting them on blank DDR5 desktop PCBs bought from AliExpress for around $16 each, and adding heatsinks for around $18; the total bill of materials came to $175. The modules used what he believed to be SK hynix A-die ICs. The finished DIMMs were recognized in an Asus ROG Maximus Z790 Apex Encore motherboard as two 'SK hynix 16,384MB 5600MHz' modules, and after tuning ran rock-steady at DDR5-7800 CL38 and 1.40V, verified by 90 minutes of stress testing; the hobbyist notes the rework carries many risks and he lacks testing equipment to locate a faulty individual IC. On prices, he checked eBay U.S. where the best deal for a used 32GB kit was $320, while the best price for a new 32GB DDR5-6000 kit seemed to be $449 at the time of writing. The article also notes Russian enthusiast VIK-on completed a similar project earlier this year, flashing custom firmware for auto-detected 6400 MT/s XMP support. The article states that in late 2026 DDR5 RAM continues to be too expensive; the source does not state the cause.

Impact and signal

Affected components and suppliers

Source and time

Source: Tom's Hardware · 10/20/2026 · View original source