What's Causing the Memory Price Hike? 31
Trazom28 asks: "Anyone else noticed how much memory prices have jumped in the last few months? For example, back in early summer, I purchased a 128 meg stick of PC100 for around $100 from Micro Trends. It's been on a steady increase the last few months, and today, it goes for $182. So.. anyone else heard of why, or is this artifical market inflation? "
Re:You're kicking yourself? I'm kicking myself har (Score:1)
Reason (Score:1)
Manic.
I suspect the real reason..... (Score:1)
I'm more inclined to believe that than another permutation of the "chip factory fire" line, at any rate.
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panic in the market? (Score:1)
Originally I had heard (from customer service reps at www.mwave.com ) that rummors about a shortage of memory had artificially inflated memory prices. Whether or not this "shortage" ever materialized is beyond me. All I know is that I am kicking myself for not ordering that 128 MB PC100 Corsair DIMM when it was $115 (US). Now it's over $170 (US).
Re:panic in the market? (Score:1)
Asia Pac Economic Turnaround (Score:2)
We have had an unusal period of low inflation and low interest rates in part caused by low commodity prices and low cost of imported goods. The fact of the matter is that this siuation is not going to last, and one of the first places that you are seeing the change is in RAM prices.
Re:panic in the market? (Score:1)
http://www.anandtech.com/#2907 [anandtech.com].
Read the middle paragraph.
Directly from a memory vendor. (Score:1)
The reason for the memory price hike... (Score:1)
From an article yesterday:
The announcement came as world 64Mb DRAM prices today reached their highest ever levels. According to Asiabiztech.com, these chips were today selling at $12.75 per unit.
This compares to prices around the $5 mark in July.
Joe D'Elia, senior microprocessor analyst at Dataquest, said: "We are now seeing the difference between a buyer's and a seller's market.
"Everyone has kept stocks to an absolute minimum."
He also pointed out the huge difference between contract pricing -- which stands at around $7 -- and spot pricing for 64Mb DRAM.
To explain the sudden memory price rises, D'Elia added: "There is a lot of uncertainty in the market at the moment - surrounding technology such as Rambus. The manufacturers are capitalising on that."
Tim
You're kicking yourself? I'm kicking myself harder (Score:1)
It's artificial (Score:1)
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$224 for 128MB PC100 CAS2 non-parity SDRAM DIMM! (Score:1)
Its not so much a shortage... but a normalization (Score:2)
Prices are ridiculous right now, but they should come back down like everything else does. I just hope it happens sooner then latter.
Crossing my fingers, and guarding my corsair 128mb sticks,
Ecc
Ram Prices (Score:1)
In the past, as opposed to dumping, excess has been sold on VERY cheaply to smaller vendors, these vendors then sell via
Now with memory being much less in abundance, prices have started to rise again, and the little guys are right in saying there is a "shortage". The big guys however, maintain their current levels, and charge what they would have done anyway, if the "little guys" hadn't gotten in on the act.
Good News for the environment, not so good for upgraders...
Mong.
* Paul Madley
Re:RAM price increase (Score:1)
or maybe that's what _they_ want you to believe?
Even if prices where at $260 a year ago, was that price inflated also? If this is a trend where manufacts raise the price pre-christmas season wouldn't the price of $260 a year ago be a reflection of this also? I'd be curious to see what DIMM prices where in say May or April of 1998.
capatilism is a wonderful thing!! (Score:1)
i was able to get some 128MB PC100 modules for $139 from BestBuy in Wisconson but no luck finding any information on the website, hence no link. contacts baby!!
The obscene part about RAM prices. (Score:1)
This was true even in 1995, when the price for the kind of RAM most people needed (30 pin 1MB SIMMs) was about $40 apiece. The reason for that, I was told, was because "The factory that made epoxy for *every* memory manufacturer was destroyed in the Kobe earthquake.", but you may have heard another B.S. excuse. I didn't believe it then, and I don't believe it now.
Of course, there is one thing that is similar to 1995 -- Microsoft is set to release another bloated hog of an operating system in the next couple of months. If history repeats itself, look for a steep drop when memory manufacturers find out that people simply *won't* pay obscene amounts of money for memory, even if it does slow the OS...
Memory Prices (Score:1)
However, it usually doesn't go up this much. So dunno.
If you act now you can run out to Best Buy or some such store and get a rain check before they 'update' their prices. The reason you'll need a rain check is because they were out of ALL their memory. But, I got a raincheck for 2 sticks of 128megs of pc100 for $90/stick.
UK prices (Score:1)
If they're still $170 in the US, maybe it is time to emigrate....
Which brings up another point - why are electrical goods so much more expensive in Europe?
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No productivity (Score:1)
RAM prices, OS realeases and new architectures.. (Score:1)
But i don't think it'll last for long thou, because soon the new ram technology's will make the manufactors massproduce those chips and PC-100 and PC-133 will end up as EDO ram did... that's pretty expensive these days... At least in Norway..
Other reasons for the prices to raise is, rumors, the new Windows realease witch will eat ram and the fact that it's lots of peoples will buy computers for Xmas.
Sorry for my bad english..
Mvh
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Magnus
Ram prices (Score:2)
Around 1988, for instance, an embargo caused memory prices to triple in a short time. There have been a couple of times in the nineties where the price has spiked. The often-repeated story was that there was a memory plant fire or explosion. I don't know how true that was.
That was 128 Meg 8ns Micron sDRAM for $90. (Score:1)
Micron and other suppliers holding back (Score:1)
No third part manufacturing (Score:1)
Re:You're kicking yourself? I'm kicking myself har (Score:1)
The proof is not in the pudding, it is right here:
http://www.world-domination.net/proof.ht ml [world-domination.net]
SupremeOverlord
Re:You're kicking yourself? I'm kicking myself har (Score:1)
RAM price increase (Score:1)
1) There are 5 major fabs making over 90% of the 64 Mbit SDRAM chips.
2) 2 of the 5 closed for about a month to re-tool/install new fabrication equipment. Reason is they are going to a smaller process, and newer equipment.
3) The temporary closures resulted in the supply being reduced by about 20%.
4) The industry tends, when faced with any form of shortage, temporary or otherwise, to panic.
5) The industry likes to feed this panic. Let's say you have an inventory worth $1 Million dollars. Let's say prices go up 50%. Then you make a 50% profit.
The new lines go full production by the end of September, then normal market forces of competition will go into effect and prices will drop again.
Last note:
A 128MB PC100 SDRAM DIMM cost about $260 a year ago. The lowest it got this year was about $90 The price is now where it was at one year ago.