by 
In the ongoing AI components crisis, RAM prices have tripled as flash chips have become increasingly hard to source - so much so that Corsair have turned to previously untapped Chinese RAM makers for their entry-level Vengeance DDR5 kits. Now, Corsair is going the other way with an ultra high-end kit of limited edition RAM called Shugo, designed to offer a unique look and high-end specs.
The 32GB kit, which features unique Japanese-inspired artwork depicting an armoured warrior or a woman under cherry blossoms, uses "highly binned" and "hand-sorted" DDR5 and "a custom in-house PCB" to aim for overclocking records. The heat spreader also features a unique design, with micro-drilled patterns, interesting RGB lighting and the aforementioned UV-printed artwork - this is certainly a statement piece.
For your 2x16GB kit of DDR5-6000 CL28 Shugo RAM - with two identical-looking but non-functional dummy modules to fill out a standard four-slot motherboard - you can expect to pay $600 in the US or £579 in the UK. Amusingly, that's very slightly cheaper than a more standard-looking Corsair Vengeance RGB kit at the same DDR5-6000 CL28 spec elsewhere on the Corsair Store, which goes for £592.
However, you can do much better if you shop around. The cheapest equivalent set from any manufacturer I can see on PCPartPicker is £420 for a Trident Z5 Neo kit; in the US it's $440 for a V-Color Manta XSky kit (which, to be honest, I've never heard of) or $450 for a more familiar Patriot Viper Elite 5 kit. Opting for looser DDR5-6000 CL30 saves another £50/$50 or so.
Corsair is also running a giveaway for the Shugo RAM, offering a chance to win a set in either design in exchange for subscribing to Corsair Store emails and following various Corsair properties on Instagram.
What do you make of the news - is it a good time to play around with limited edition RAM now that it's so expensive? Or is this just putting salt in the wound of those that can't afford a RAM upgrade right now? The quote from this article's headline comes from the top comment on a /r/Corsair post from /u/DeRooky, and it feels like a fair summary of the situation for many people. Let me know your thoughts in the comments below.
I've also added a poll above that asking how much you paid for the last RAM kit you bought. For me, it was £128.39 for a 32GB set of Corsair Vengeance DDR5-6000 CL30, ordered back in October 2023. Ah, the old times!