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Framework lifts Strix Halo 128 GB prices 12% in EU, 11% in UK

Framework's Desktop AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 128 GB SKU jumped from €3,029 to €3,379 in the EU and £2,699 to £2,999 in the UK mid-May, on continuing DDR5 module shortage. US pricing held.

Framework moved the EU and UK list price on its Desktop AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 128 GB configuration mid-May. The EU price jumped from €3,029 to €3,379 (+12%) and the UK price from £2,699 to £2,999 (+11%). US pricing on the same SKU held at the existing anchor.

Framework’s stated reason on the configurator footnotes is the continuing DDR5 module shortage that has run since Q1 2026 — the 128 GB Strix Halo SKU pairs two 64 GB SO-DIMM modules, and the modules themselves have been the bottleneck for the rest of the AI mini-PC segment too. The dual-unit kit price moved in step (EU €6,058 → €6,758, UK £5,398 → £5,998).

What this means in practice

For people running local LLMs on a Strix Halo 128 GB box, the unit has been one of the cheapest paths to 96 GB of usable unified memory — enough headroom to fit GPT-OSS-120B at Q4_K_M comfortably, or DeepSeek V4-Pro experts hot-pinned at Q2_K. At the new EU/UK pricing, the value gap against a refurbished Mac Studio M3 Ultra 256 GB narrows materially when you cross-shop currency-for-currency in those markets.

The US price is unchanged. The US/EU spread is now roughly $1,000 once you net out VAT — significantly wider than the pre-May gap. People in EU/UK who can route an order through a US forwarder save more than they used to; people who can wait, may want to.

Vendor spread is still wide

Framework Desktop is the canonical retail anchor we track because it’s the SKU linked from productLinks and the only one of the cluster of AI mini-PCs with a public configurator that prices in EUR/GBP directly. The broader Strix Halo 128 GB street price spread as of mid-May:

  • Bosgame M5 — $2,399
  • Corsair AI Workstation 300 — $2,499
  • Framework Desktop — $2,851 (US)
  • Beelink GTR9 Pro / GMKtec EVO-X2 — ~$3,000
  • HP Z2 Mini G1a — $3,734

None of the others publish stable EUR/GBP list prices direct, so the Framework move is the cleanest signal of what regional MSRP is doing this month.

What to watch

If you’re planning a Strix Halo purchase in the EU/UK, the May bump is real but DDR5 contracts are quoted quarterly — the next price look is likely late July as Q3 module agreements settle. Framework’s Q1 review noted they hold ~6 weeks of module inventory at any time, which roughly matches when the next pass-through would land.

US buyers: nothing to do. EU/UK buyers eyeing one: the +12% is the floor, not the ceiling — the DDR5 trend has been one-way this year.

Sources

Background: this post was prompted by a 2026-05-16 changelog entry (Regional pricing section).