The boutique PC builder has rolled out what it calls BYO RAM builds, allowing customers to order a fully built system with no DDR5 installed.

Memory prices have gone from annoying to ridiculous as DDR5 ICs get hoovered up by AI infrastructure, leaving gamers staring at wildly fluctuating pre-built prices. Pre-built PC makers have been flailing around trying to keep systems affordable, but even they cannot absorb the relentless hikes. Maingear’s answer is to remove the problem from the box.

The new BYO RAM option lets buyers either bring a compatible DDR5 kit to Maingear or ship one directly to the company, which will then install it and run its usual validation.

That means customers can hunt for deals, reuse existing memory or avoid paying peak pricing through a system configurator.

Maingear says the approach is designed to keep builds moving while memory availability remains a mess.

In its press release, Maingear said, “DDR5 pricing has been unpredictable and, in many cases, brutal. BYO RAM Builds give gamers and creators a smarter path: lock in the MAINGEAR system you want now, source RAM on your terms and still get MAINGEAR build quality and performance, and system-level testing."

Every BYO RAM system still goes through the company’s standard validation process before shipping, so there is no bodged-together excuse if something goes bang.

Maingear pointed to a “perfect storm” of AI demand, tighter manufacturing allocation and limited availability pushing DDR5 prices all over the shop. The company reckons letting customers sidestep memory entirely is a practical way to stop RAM shortages from killing off new PC builds.