Another Bad Month for DRAM Makers
PrintWe're starting to sound like a broken record here, but that's only because the DRAM market keeps playing the same old tune over and over again. It's a sad melody about falling DRAM contract prices, and according to Digitimes, those prices plummeted another 12-13 percent in late November.
Contract prices for 2GB DDR3 modules have tumbled to $22, and they're not selling for that much more online. A quick glance on Newegg shows several 2GB DDR3 sticks going for less than $30 shipped, some as low as $24 shipped.
Citing un-named industry sources in Taiwan, DigiTimes says the recent price drop has to do with an oversupply caused in large part by Samsung, Inotera, and Nanya kicking out too many modules. By the end of 2010, there's the chance contract prices will fall even further, below the $20 mark.
Image Credit: Kingston
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Freddie
November 29, 2010 at 1:42pm
Pardon me if you guys think this is offtopic.
Given the low low price of DDR3, I'm wondering if I should upgrade. I currently have a Core i7-920, overclocked to 3.6/4.0 with TurboBoost in an EVGA E758 motherboard. I'm running three Corsair XMS3 Tri Channel 2 gig sticks of PC10666 DDR3 Memory. (I had to loosen the memory timings for the overclock.)
With the price of DDR 3 so low, I'm considering buying some more. However, I'm worried because of a lot of confusing (to me, anyway) info about tri-channel memory. Is it true that I can slow my other memory if I occupy any of the three remaining RAM slots I've got on the board? And that I should never fill the last slot? What if I only bought to more sticks to bring my RAM up to 10 gigs-- is that even feasible? Sorry if these are basic questions.
richeemxx
November 29, 2010 at 1:53pm
Triple channel memory must be installed in groups of three so no you couldn't add another one or two sticks, and generally speaking if you are running 6 sticks you'll want to run 6 sticks from the same manf with the same settings/timmings ect.
TBH unless you are doing some serious multitasking, running VMs or using a RAM drive you probably aren't going to need more memory anytime soon. The prices are great but that doesn't mean you need to run out and buy more.
That segways into my 'on-topic' discssion. RAM makers having a bad month isn't really that bad a thing. Especially for us. Look back at the late end of the DDR2 era. DRAM prices dropped like a rock and you could get DDR2 for dirt cheap. They over produce and keep trying to push more and more consumers to upgrade to levels they don't need to begin with and then wonder why they have too much stock. The avg consumer barely uses 2gbs of ram and would hardly ever use 4gbs. Yet OEMs are pushing 6-8gbs and more. Its overkill and totally ridiculous!!
tempestryder
December 12, 2010 at 2:55pm
With the cost per stick dropping, why wouldnt OEMs push for more? It's a larger number for relatively little extra cost. Larger numbers sell more systems. Do we need it? No. But it isn't ridiculous.
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