Price Check Q3 2016: DRAM Prices Down Over 20% Since Early 2016
by Anton Shilov on July 25, 2016 12:01 AM ESTDDR3 Modules Are Getting Cheaper Too
While the transition to DDR4 is proceeding as planned, there are a number of competitive Haswell and Skylake processors that support DDR3 and DDR3L memory. Therefore it makes sense to examine retail prices of previous-generation modules in retail too. While most users building new high end systems will be leaning on DDR4, we recognise that mid-range and low cost buyers may still be buying older platforms as new. As a result, we will analyze several mainstream speed bins for DDR3.
Kingston’s HyperX Fury Low Voltage DDR3L-1866/CL11 16 GB (2×8 GB) kit (HX318LC11FBK2/16).
Intel’s newest processor line, the Skylake CPUs, officially supports DDR3L as well as DDR4 memory, if you find the appropriate motherboard. Note that it is DDR3L and not DDR3, due to the memory controller implementation. As a result, we start with Kingston’s HyperX Fury Low Voltage DDR3L-1866/CL11 16 GB (2×8 GB) kit (HX318LC11FBK2/16). Very early this year the set retailed for $90, but its price fell to $83 in February. By now, the price of this dual-channel DDR3L-1866/CL11 kit dropped to $73 at Amazon and $73 at Newegg, which is somewhat higher than the price of mainstream dual-channel DDR4-2133/CL15 or even DDR4-2400/CL16 kits, which retail for less than $65. The gap between DDR4-2133 and DDR3L-1866 got a little smaller than it was earlier this year, but being less widespread in general, the DDR3L is a bit more expensive.
Kingston’s HyperX Fury Black DDR3-1866/CL10 (2×8 GB) kit (HX318C10FBK2/16)
If you need to upgrade a previous-generation platform, you can opt for Kingston’s HyperX Fury Black DDR3-1866/CL10 16 GB (2×8 GB) kit (HX318C10FBK2/16), which retails for $69.99 (in line with prices of mainstream DDR4 modules). This kit used to cost around $80 early this year, so, it has got over 13% cheaper in the recent months. The dual-channel set of DDR3 memory modules briefly retailed for $53 in early June, so, it is possible that in the coming weeks its price will hit that spot again.
Kingston’s HyperX Savage DDR3-2133/CL11 2×8 GB kit (HX321C11SRK2/16)
If you need fast DDR3 modules, then Kingston (as well as other makers) offer DDR3-2133 DRAM sticks.
For example, Kingston’s HyperX Savage DDR3-2133/CL11 16 GB (2×8 GB) kit (HX321C11SRK2/16) costs $99.99 at Amazon, up from $90 earlier this year (but down from over $100 last year). For this amount of money, it is possible to get 16 GBs of DDR4-3200/CL17 memory.
Kingston’s HyperX Savage DDR3-2400/CL11 (2×8 GB) kit (HX324C11SRK2/16)
If you plan to push your DDR3 memory sub-system even further, you may want to consider Kingston’s HyperX Savage DDR3-2400/CL11 16 GB (2×8 GB) kit (HX324C11SRK2/16), which costs $100 at Amazon (so, the same amount of money as the DDR3-2133 kit). Earlier this year this dual-channel set of DRAM modules cost over $100 and its current price is around the same.
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sonicmerlin - Monday, July 25, 2016 - link
The title of the article incorrectly states "since 2015", when the text clearly states the 20% drop is from early 2016.Ian Cutress - Monday, July 25, 2016 - link
That was a mistake on my part. Updated :)Mikuni - Monday, July 25, 2016 - link
How can the fab cost so much? 12-13 billions? It would be interesting to see an article detailing the design and processes of such buildings, the machinery used etc.woggs - Monday, July 25, 2016 - link
The tools installed are the money... These are a little dated but interesting...https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SeGqCl3YAaQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Q_n4vdyZzc
mejobloggs - Tuesday, July 26, 2016 - link
Those videos are mind boggling, just trying to think how much technology involved in all thatAndrewJacksonZA - Monday, July 25, 2016 - link
There's a typo on the headings on the first graph: "sopt" instead of "spot"anomalydesign - Monday, July 25, 2016 - link
These findings of DDR4 prices continuing to go lower don't match with my personal experience. In ordering RAM in the past month I've come to accept that the prices are significantly higher than they were earlier in the year.After reading the article I though perhaps I was misremembering the prices, so I looked back through my order history at Newegg. I purchased multiple 16 and 32GB DDR4 kits from different brands back in April, and in each case the listed price on those kits was not only lower than the current price (by at least 10-25 percent), but they were well below the price of ANY comparable kit currently available.
So I don't know why the graphs and examples in this article don't line up with what I've experienced. I think perhaps looking at particular brands and models is part of the issue, as one that is priced at the entry level can move up, or vice versa. But unless there is a way to show prices not of a particular kit, but of the least expensive example of a given speed/capacity, I don't think these findings reflect the reality of the RAM market.
anomalydesign - Monday, July 25, 2016 - link
One example, which has gone from $110 to 152 in the past few months: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N8...CaedenV - Monday, July 25, 2016 - link
It could be that you have been scooping RAM up on sales and deals available at the time, and the chart prices are for the 'normal' or 'average' going price of the products.I know that for DDR3 I picked up 16GB for my home server last spring for ~$80, and then during prime day sale I picked up another 32GB for my desktop for $65. Just goes to show that charts only show part of the picture... But still, RAM is dirt cheap compared to a year or two ago!
JoeyJoJo123 - Monday, July 25, 2016 - link
No, your experience here is correct; Anandtech's reporting is incorrect.See the price graph here of a common set of DDR4-2400 set of ram with no heatspreaders over time this year.
https://pcpartpicker.com/product/kCL7YJ/gskill-mem...
Lowest RAM prices were around April~May this year, after that prices began to pick up, and today, prices sit about ~20% higher than their historical low around April~May. And this isn't the only set of RAM that had the same price swings...
See:
https://pcpartpicker.com/product/tPVBD3/corsair-me...
https://pcpartpicker.com/product/ydCrxr/gskill-mem...
https://pcpartpicker.com/product/xxs8TW/gskill-mem...
Etc...