Why is RAM so $$$ now?

Divide Overflow · Nov 21, 2017

There are high barriers to enter the market and provide much competition to this oligopoly. Consumers are suffering.

thebluebumblebee · Nov 21, 2017

Historically, RAM is the same price as when I wanted to buy 4 x 1 MB (NOT a typo) SIMM's. Taking inflation into account, it's cheaper.

theFOoL · Nov 21, 2017

thebluebumblebee said:
Historically, RAM is the same price as when I wanted to buy 4 x 1 MB (NOT a typo) SIMM's. Taking inflation into account, it's cheaper.

How old are you? Your talking about 1 megabyte right? Jeez...

thebluebumblebee · Nov 21, 2017

Old enough to remember when a $2,500 computer was totally obsolete in 2 years. My first system was a 386DX-25.

theFOoL · Nov 21, 2017

thebluebumblebee said:
Old enough to remember when a $2,500 computer was totally obsolete in 2 years. My first system was a 386DX-25.

damn...

Gmr_Chick · Nov 23, 2017

Mike0409 said:
the cost of memory is the only thing stopping me from slapping a new pc build together... I cant justify spending $200 for 2 8gb sticks..

I'm in the middle of building a new rig and I totally see where you're coming from. While it is a good time for hardware enthusiasts (new stuff from Amd, Intel etc.) it is not a good time to be building a rig (and I'm excluding Black Friday/Cyber Monday deals) because RAM prices are simply crazy, and since you *kinda* need RAM to be able to have a functioning system, you either pay the price or get what you can afford at the present time and go from there. This is exactly what I had to do, last night actually. Originally wanted to get a 2x8 kit, but the price was crazy, and I need RAM so I settled for 2x4. I think I'll be fine with it though.

theFOoL · Nov 23, 2017

Yeah I wanted 2x8GB sticks for my Rig but the prices are just too high right now. 8GB is fine for now. I spent only 33 on 2x4GB on my rig when I built it back in 2011

Now the price is double @66

Keullo-e · Nov 23, 2017

Kickin' with 8GB since of this. I had 16GB but I had different kit with this Corsair so I sold that since they didn't OC at all when coupled.

No problems with gaming though. Almost all my games are on SSDs so..

Gmr_Chick · Nov 23, 2017

9700 Pro said:
Kickin' with 8GB since of this. I had 16GB but I had different kit with this Corsair so I sold that since they didn't OC at all when coupled.

No problems with gaming though. Almost all my games are on SSDs so..

The way I looked at my situation is, I only game @ 1080p, I run the game and the game only with no other tasks in the background (Afterburner, Discord, etc.) so I figured 2x4 would be more than enough for my case. Hell, I have 8 GB in my current system (DDR3 1600 I think?) and I've never ran into any problems in concerns to gaming or whatever.

P4-630 · Nov 23, 2017

I bought 16GB(4x4) Corsair 3000MHz memory in 2016 for 120EU, now 16GB costs about 220EU in my country...
Glad I bought it back then and 16GB will do for another few years, I don't do video editing anyway.

Keullo-e · Nov 23, 2017

Gmr_Chick said:
The way I looked at my situation is, I only game @ 1080p, I run the game and the game only with no other tasks in the background (Afterburner, Discord, etc.) so I figured 2x4 would be more than enough for my case. Hell, I have 8 GB in my current system (DDR3 1600 I think?) and I've never ran into any problems in concerns to gaming or whatever.

Yeah 1080p/60 also for me. :toast:

trog100 · Nov 23, 2017

interestingly the amount of ram people think they need does seem totally dependent on the price.. as the price goes up the the amount folks have in their machines goes down..

a couple of years back i would have said ram is cheap it dosnt make sense to skimp on it.. i probably would not say that now.. but it is a supply and demand thing and ram could become cheap again.. nothing is fixed..

trog

ps.. ram is a commodity crop like beans or coffee.. they guess at next years demand and grow enough to match.. if they get it wrong and dont grow enough the price goes up.. if they grow too much the spare goes on the open market and sells for whatever it fetches.. quite clearly they didnt grow enough this time around..

what they cant do is just magic up some more..

Gmr_Chick · Nov 24, 2017

9700 Pro said:
Yeah 1080p/60 also for me.

Awesome

And @trog100 - I agree with you about RAM prices pretty much dictating how much a person can buy. Needs are a big part of the equation as well, I think. Like, 16GB would be nice to have, but I don't technically NEED 16 GB of RAM for my particular needs, so the way I look at it why waste the extra money on something I don't really need when the money could be put towards a stronger GPU or SSD -- two things that would definitely serve me better than more RAM -- instead.

theFOoL · Nov 24, 2017

Yeah like on my Rig 8GB is OK. I have Opera up with a lot of Tabs up and I only use 2.2GB RAM. Of course I'd close it when I Game :rolleyes:

dirtyferret · Nov 24, 2017

Gmr_Chick said:
Awesome

And @trog100 - I agree with you about RAM prices pretty much dictating how much a person can buy. Needs are a big part of the equation as well, I think. Like, 16GB would be nice to have, but I don't technically NEED 16 GB of RAM for my particular needs, so the way I look at it why waste the extra money on something I don't really need when the money could be put towards a stronger GPU or SSD -- two things that would definitely serve me better than more RAM -- instead.

Amazing how much money you can save when you buy for what you will use rather then something that looks good in your spec sheet

sneekypeet · Nov 24, 2017

I honestly do not feel RAM is all that expensive. Considering the speed and density we get for the money today, with inflation figured in, it should be much more expensive than it is....

A little perspective as to why I say this.

dirtyferret · Nov 24, 2017

sneekypeet said:
I honestly do not feel RAM is all that expensive. Considering the speed and density we get for the money today, with inflation figured in, it should be much more expensive than it is....

A little perspective as to why I say this.

The exact same ram I purchased in spring of 2016 for $55 is now $90.

sneekypeet · Nov 24, 2017

dirtyferret said:
The exact same ram I purchased in spring of 2016 for $55 is now $90.

Difference between buying it at release and a decade later

I was just showing it for a price comparison as the OP is moaning about today's prices of DDR3/4. It could be much worse. I mean hell, I recall when I was on NES and SEGA systems, great games were $60 back then on release, and on PC they still are! Inflation should have doubled cost, if not tripled it! In essence, complain when pricing is over $600 for say an 8GB kit of 3200MHz DDR4!

Jetster · Nov 24, 2017

The price has doubled in 10 months. I'm fine with it I bought 32 gb in January

sneekypeet · Nov 24, 2017

Jetster said:
The price has doubled in 10 months

As a reviewer of memory who checked pricing then and now, I wouldn't go that far. Yes pricing has increased, but you are moaning about minimal changes in pricing when it "should" be much more!

Vayra86 · Nov 24, 2017

Mobile is eating up a crapload of the factory pie.

Jetster · Nov 24, 2017

sneekypeet said:
As a reviewer of memory who checked pricing then and now, I wouldn't go that far. Yes pricing has increased, but you are moaning about minimal changes in pricing when it "should" be much more!

Yeah your right I checked again. Paid $90 per set is now $160

Vayra86 · Nov 24, 2017

thebluebumblebee said:
Old enough to remember when a $2,500 computer was totally obsolete in 2 years. My first system was a 386DX-25.

Those were the days man... You're right though, components with acceptable performance have become a lot cheaper over the years, but at the same time, the differences in available performance have also widened a lot.

P4-630 · Nov 24, 2017

sneekypeet said:
when it "should" be much more!

Don't shout that too loud.........

sneekypeet · Nov 24, 2017

Jetster said:
Yeah your right I checked again. Paid $90 per set is now $160

Which are again returning to prices we saw before. When I initially started looking at DDR4, prices were outlandish, it got affordable for a few minutes, and is now back up to where it was originally. On anything else that is not currently made, DDR3 and lower, supply has a much larger factor as a manufacturer will not just "make more" for them.

P4-630 said:
Don't shout that too loud.........

Not trying to say it to inflate the cost, just saying it to add perspective. Stop looking at what it is doing at this moment and look at the much larger picture

Processor	Ryzen 9 5900X
Motherboard	Gigabyte X570 Aorus Master
Cooling	ARCTIC Liquid Freezer II 360 A-RGB
Memory	32 GB Ballistix Elite DDR4-3600 CL16
Video Card(s)	XFX 6800 XT Speedster Merc 319 Black
Storage	Sabrent Rocket NVMe 4.0 1TB
Display(s)	LG 27GL850B x 2 / ASUS MG278Q
Case	be quiet! Silent Base 802
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Power Supply	Seasonic Prime 750W Titanium
Software	Windows 11 Pro 64

System Name	Main/DC
Processor	i7-3770K/i7-2600K
Motherboard	MSI Z77A-GD55/GA-P67A-UD4-B3
Cooling	Phanteks PH-TC14CS/H80
Memory	Crucial Ballistix Sport 16GB (2 x 8GB) LP /4GB Kingston DDR3 1600
Video Card(s)	Asus GTX 660 Ti/MSI HD7770
Storage	Crucial MX100 256GB/120GB Samsung 830 & Seagate 2TB(died)
Display(s)	Asus 24' LED/Samsung SyncMaster B1940
Case	P100/Antec P280 It's huge!
Audio Device(s)	on board
Power Supply	SeaSonic SS-660XP2/Seasonic SS-760XP2
Software	Win 7 Home Premiun 64 Bit

System Name	BoX-Server \| 775PC
Processor	I3 3.5GHZ (3150) \| Modded Xeon E5450 (OC @3.60)
Motherboard	ASRock B85M-ITX \| ASUS P5Q-EM
Cooling	OEZM HSK \| 92MM Heatsink RGB
Memory	8GB DDR3 \| 8GB DDR2
Video Card(s)	AMD 6450 \| AMD RX 550 4GB
Storage	120GB SSD 1TB WD \| 120GB SSD 1TB Seagate 500GB HDD <<
Display(s)	DELL 17" LCD 1280x1024 \| ASUS 24" LCD IPS
Case	CoolerMaster 110 \| RoseWill ZIRCON
Audio Device(s)	Onboard
Power Supply	Rosewill 610WATT \| Rosewill 550WATT
Mouse	Input-Director\| RoseWill FUSION C40
Keyboard	Input-Director \| RoseWill FUSION
Software	Windows 10 Pro 64-Bit

System Name	Main/DC
Processor	i7-3770K/i7-2600K
Motherboard	MSI Z77A-GD55/GA-P67A-UD4-B3
Cooling	Phanteks PH-TC14CS/H80
Memory	Crucial Ballistix Sport 16GB (2 x 8GB) LP /4GB Kingston DDR3 1600
Video Card(s)	Asus GTX 660 Ti/MSI HD7770
Storage	Crucial MX100 256GB/120GB Samsung 830 & Seagate 2TB(died)
Display(s)	Asus 24' LED/Samsung SyncMaster B1940
Case	P100/Antec P280 It's huge!
Audio Device(s)	on board
Power Supply	SeaSonic SS-660XP2/Seasonic SS-760XP2
Software	Win 7 Home Premiun 64 Bit

System Name	BoX-Server \| 775PC
Processor	I3 3.5GHZ (3150) \| Modded Xeon E5450 (OC @3.60)
Motherboard	ASRock B85M-ITX \| ASUS P5Q-EM
Cooling	OEZM HSK \| 92MM Heatsink RGB
Memory	8GB DDR3 \| 8GB DDR2
Video Card(s)	AMD 6450 \| AMD RX 550 4GB
Storage	120GB SSD 1TB WD \| 120GB SSD 1TB Seagate 500GB HDD <<
Display(s)	DELL 17" LCD 1280x1024 \| ASUS 24" LCD IPS
Case	CoolerMaster 110 \| RoseWill ZIRCON
Audio Device(s)	Onboard
Power Supply	Rosewill 610WATT \| Rosewill 550WATT
Mouse	Input-Director\| RoseWill FUSION C40
Keyboard	Input-Director \| RoseWill FUSION
Software	Windows 10 Pro 64-Bit

Why is RAM so $$$ now?

Divide Overflow

thebluebumblebee

theFOoL

thebluebumblebee

theFOoL

Gmr_Chick

theFOoL

Keullo-e

S.T.A.R.S.

Gmr_Chick

P4-630

Keullo-e

S.T.A.R.S.

trog100

Gmr_Chick

theFOoL

dirtyferret

sneekypeet

Retired Super Moderator

dirtyferret

sneekypeet

Retired Super Moderator

Jetster

sneekypeet

Retired Super Moderator

Vayra86

Jetster

Vayra86

P4-630

sneekypeet

Retired Super Moderator

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Memory	32GB Kingston HyperX Fury @ DDR4-3466
Video Card(s)	PowerColor RX 6700 XT Fighter OC/UV
Storage	~4TB SSD + 6TB HDD
Display(s)	Acer 27" 4K120 IPS + Lenovo 32" 4K60 IPS
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VR HMD	Oculus Rift CV1
Software	Windows 11 Pro
Benchmark Scores	It runs Crysis remastered at 4K

System Name	AlderLake / Laptop
Processor	Intel i7 12700K P-Cores @ 5Ghz / Intel i3 7100U
Motherboard	Gigabyte Z690 Aorus Master / HP 83A3 (U3E1)
Cooling	Noctua NH-U12A 2 fans + Thermal Grizzly Kryonaut Extreme + 5 case fans / Fan
Memory	32GB DDR5 Corsair Dominator Platinum RGB 6000MHz CL36 / 8GB DDR4 HyperX CL13
Video Card(s)	MSI RTX 2070 Super Gaming X Trio / Intel HD620
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Display(s)	27" Asus PG279Q ROG Swift 165Hrz Nvidia G-Sync, IPS.. 2560x1440..
Case	Gigabyte mid-tower.. cheap and nothing special..
Audio Device(s)	onboard sounds with stereo amp..
Power Supply	EVGA 850 watt..
Mouse	Logitech G700s
Keyboard	Logitech K270
Software	Win 10 pro..
Benchmark Scores	Firestike 29500.. timepsy 14000..

Processor	faster at instructions than yours
Motherboard	more nurturing than yours
Cooling	frostier than yours
Memory	superior scheduling & haphazardly entry than yours
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Software	Windows 11

System Name	Juliette // HTPC
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Motherboard	ASUS Prime Z390X-A // ASRock B550 ITX-AC
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Memory	Corsair DDR4 3600 32gb //G.SKILL Trident Z Royal Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) 3600
Video Card(s)	ASUS RTX4070 OC// GTX 1650
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