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Memory prices have slipped below $2/GB (US). I got someone to buy 32 GB DDR4-3200 SO-DIMM for under $60, but it was as low as $50 two weeks ago.
Here's 32 GB DDR4-3600 for $61.
Even DDR5 is not too bad, for example $92 to $100 for 32 GB DDR5-6000, and slow DDR5-4800 is being dumped for less.
If we haven't reached rock bottom for DDR4 prices, it will probably happen within the next couple of months:
Memory market to bottom out in 2Q23 with uncertain recovery prospects
Samsung Becomes Latest Memory Fab to Cut Production Amidst Post-Pandemic Slump
Samsung may cut quarter of chip production to ease inventory woes
DRAM spot prices stop falling
Samsung faces weakest quarter since 2009 as memory chip market in 'worst slump in decades'
SK Hynix sees H2 memory chip rebound; outlook helps shares brush off record loss
Micron to stop lowering memory chip prices starting May, say sources
Make sure to keep a record of your purchase so you can participate in a future class action lawsuit.
Edit: Poor Earnings Force Samsung To Reduce Production Of DDR4 As Pricing Takes A Rollercoaster Dive
(Score: -1, Spam) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday April 30, @10:00AM (2 children)
Like clockwork, a takyon journal entry to cover the butt-hurt of Runaway being just absolutely thrashed in Azuma's journal. Soylentils should be aware that such covering actually hides nothing. We all saw Runaway threaten millions of liberals, and wanting them dead. Cheap ram is not going to compensate for that, no way.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday April 30, @10:30AM (1 child)
Like clockwork, aristarchus is being a creep again.
(Score: -1, Spam) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday May 03, @10:25AM
Runaway actually enjoys being spanked. Why else would he keep coming back for more of it?
(Score: 2) by RamiK on Sunday April 30, @01:33PM (1 child)
https://soylentnews.org/article.pl?sid=23/04/08/1735257 [soylentnews.org]
compiling...
(Score: 3, Insightful) by takyon on Sunday April 30, @02:59PM
More news has come out since then, and some of these prices are wild. SSDs are also very cheap.
Pick up whatever computers you need before Taiwan gets invaded.
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 2) by istartedi on Sunday April 30, @05:08PM (6 children)
I've been wanting to build a box, but so many things were over-priced, especially graphics cards. I think those have come down too, but it's nice to hear about anything in the space getting cheap. It's wild to think about throwing that much extra memory in for the price of dining out one evening. Frankly though, I'd rather have the memory still be expensive and the meals cheaper.
Appended to the end of comments you post. Max: 120 chars.
(Score: 3, Informative) by takyon on Monday May 01, @03:39AM (4 children)
What's your graphics target?
It seems there is low demand for the current mid-high-end GPUs, and low demand for PCs in general, but low-end pricing may never reach the levels we used to see because of inflation and other factors. There could still be OK options for new GPUs between $150 to $300. Such as the RX 6600 through RX 6700 XT and upcoming successor cards. 6500 XT was awful at most price points, and you have to wonder what a successor would look like.
Once we see desktop APUs arrive on AM5, it will be the beginning of the end for discrete GPUs bought simply for 1080p. Rembrandt is OK for 1080p, Phoenix Point is better, Strix Point (normal version) should end the conversation and maybe bring 12 cores. Strix Halo (mega APU) is not expected to come to desktops. Everything from Phoenix Point on is likely to include a dedicated AI/ML accelerator which could be of interest.
Even buying a GPU for display outputs is starting to go away. AMD has included iGPUs on every AM5 CPU so far, and Intel could easily follow suit and axe the 'F' models if they choose to do so.
SSDs are quite cheap although I have some complaints about storage technologies. We'll see how the memory market goes but I think the launch of 24/48 GB mainstream DDR5 sticks is a good thing, even if it exposes how stagnant the industry is. Memory will get exciting again once we see 3D DRAM hit the mainstream, possibly in 3-5 years. Let's get to $0.50/GB, please.
There have been great CPU/motherboard/memory bundles, especially for Americans. Prices could be better, AMD is making killer margins even after discounts. Just look at $200+ 6-cores.
AMD is experiencing the so-called 16-core stagnation, which also affects the rest of the product stack... because chiplets. Zen 5/6 will be more exciting and AM5 will be more mature at that time.
I'm more interested in Intel's old products than their new launches. There are millions of business devices that can be refurbished and sold for dirt cheap. Not really the case for AMD. This is where you can use DDR4, which has had a long lifetime (Skylake in 2015 to Raptor Lake Refresh later in 2023).
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 2) by Freeman on Monday May 01, @02:10PM (1 child)
I recently got an RX6600 GPU. Which is about where I wanted my current machine a couple of years ago. Now kiddo has a decent GPU and power supply. Next question is what should I upgrade next? Wife's computer? My computer? Just get something good enough for kiddo? I like to take advantage of sane pricing. The last few years has been horrible for computer prices. It used to be, just wait a year or so, you'll get the fancy new stuff for cheaper. Even before that GPU prices weren't exactly stable due to cryptomining, but the pandemic just made the corporations even more greedy (If that's even possible). While cryptomining has been a favorite scapegoat, AMD/Nvidia/Intel, etc. all have vested interest in making sure prices stay high.
Joshua 1:9 "Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee"
(Score: 3, Interesting) by takyon on Monday May 01, @03:31PM
I don't know what you're upgrading anything from even though you probably told us before.
Consider going small and cheap for an extra computer. Buy an OptiPlex MFF from Dell Refurbished (wait for a 40-50% off coupon code on Slickdeals), stuff it with 32 GB of DDR4 SO-DIMM, and you have a powerful mini PC on a budget. Or spring for something like a Minisforum system [slickdeals.net].
On the APU front I've been interested in the future Strix Point (Zen 5, RDNA3+) for months/years now. But the recently leaked Strix Halo [videocardz.com] sounds insane, and it occurs to me that could be put into mini PCs (BGA package) even if it doesn't fit on the AM5 socket. I'd like to know more about the XDNA AI accelerator, which will be in Phoenix laptops that are finally being released this month.
For a classic desktop, Zen 4 might be worth it if you can get a bundle deal. AMD seems to be aiming for a consistent +25% single-thread improvement (IPC + clocks) each major generation. That isn't enough to inspire jumping from something like Zen 3 to Zen 4, but it adds up over time. Zen 5 is rumored to top out at 16 cores again and use TSMC "4nm" because of "3nm" issues. Zen 6 (2026?) is when you could expect more cores now.
Intel's Meteor/Arrow Lake could be worthy contenders. It sounds like Intel will give L4 cache another shot in certain segments, and everything should include AI accelerators, like AMD and Apple. How do you feel about the hybrid/heterogeneous cores?
Anything truly transformational for CPU performance will be several years down the line, heavily utilizing 3D packaging.
We are waiting for AMD and Nvidia to launch lower-end RDNA3 and Lovelace GPUs. People are freaking out about low VRAM right now, and an interesting move would be if AMD launched a 7600 XT with 8 GB but allowed for 16 GB variants to be launched by AIBs. AMD has messed up some aspects of RDNA3, probably because of the move to chiplets.
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 2) by istartedi on Monday May 01, @02:18PM (1 child)
No special graphics target. I'm not in to GPU intensive games or crypto. I might even say "on board is fine" except that something a bit more punchy is probably a good idea for "future proofing". So the more low-end cards are fine, but still some kind of GPU. I haven't done much research on that. I'd say "something a gamer is trading up from" but no way will I install anything used.
Appended to the end of comments you post. Max: 120 chars.
(Score: 3, Informative) by takyon on Tuesday May 02, @01:38AM
If you can wait a long time and want to build a full system, AM5 desktop APUs could be a consideration. If they are not out by the end of 2023, they should be out in 2024.
I would also like to see what Intel does with the iGPUs in Meteor/Arrow Lake (desktop), but keep your expectations low.
We should wait to see what happens with the RX 7600 (XT) and RTX 4060 (Ti) launches in the middle of this year. The RX 6600 (XT) was well regarded, and the 7600 could improve on that in some interesting ways. E.g. around 6700 XT performance, better ray-tracing, AV1 hardware encode, and possibly an option for more VRAM.
You say no intensive games or crypto. How about AI? AMD can be used for AI but Nvidia is still considered the only game in town.
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 2) by Freeman on Monday May 01, @02:13PM
Now, is a very good time to build a new computer. GPU pricing is not utterly bonkers. GPU has always been a significant chunk of a Computer Gamer's build. Pricing over the pandemic, turned the graphics card into the component that cost more than everything else combined.
Joshua 1:9 "Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee"
(Score: 2) by Tork on Sunday April 30, @10:10PM (1 child)
Slashdolt Logic: "25 year old jokes about sharks and lasers are +5, Funny." 💩
(Score: 2) by takyon on Monday May 01, @12:48AM
I'm sorry for your loss.
Although it didn't take long to see M2 Mac Minis get to reasonable prices (8 GB RAM only, RIP).
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 1, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Monday May 01, @03:27AM
Time to burn down a factory or two and create another shortage. Always worked in the past
(Score: 2, Insightful) by shrewdsheep on Monday May 01, @08:17PM (2 children)
While I trust your instincts, in most cases the strategy of only buying what you need right now or in the short term, will be cheapest, most sustainable and will lead to the most performant system (pick three of three).
(Score: 3, Insightful) by takyon on Monday May 01, @11:29PM
Do what's right for your budget, but if you can max out your system RAM (32-64 GB) today for as low as $50-100, it's hard to ignore.
I would like for RAM prices to be significantly cheaper ($/GB) some day, continuing historical trends [jcmit.net], but I think that will only apply to the RAM that's currently in production a few years from now. Not DDR4.
I also think it's time to care of your computing needs, if you can afford it, before Taiwan gets visited by unwelcome guests. Maybe that won't come to pass, but where there's smoke, they pinch back.
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 3, Interesting) by krishnoid on Wednesday May 03, @01:51AM
You can also expect at least some eBay sellers will speculate and snap up what they can, so you can buy it from them later. People also forget that there were print-magazine (RIP) articles that recommended what upgrades to get to speed up your PC. The best choice was to max out your RAM, but that was definitely unrealistic because of the incredible expense. So they recommended a faster hard drive to improve file and swap I/O, or a CPU upgrade.
Now it's *way* less expensive to max out the RAM on your current motherboard, so you definitely want to do it. If you want to spend more, buy the RAM from a premium manufacturer, like Crucial/Micron and run it through memtest86 when you first install it. And if you can, put in an SSD before adding a lot of data/applications on the main drive that you'd have to migrate over to an SSD later. A RAM upgrade is definitely worth once you have the money, as putting it in is a whole 10 minutes from shutdown to completely logged-back-in.