GDDR5 RAM vs On-Package Cache RAM to improve IGP performance?

[Piroko]

DDR3 prices have nearly doubled in the past 5 months.

Question (not necessarily to you): Is there a technical reason (meaning, not related to volume) that GDDR5 chips in lower speed bins would be more expensive to produce than DDR3? If yes, what difference would we be talking about?

As far as I understand GDDR5 and DDR3 are pretty similar in their internal structure and memory makers could switch their masks/production from one memory sort to the other within weeks if margins were noticeable higher. Well, at least if they have working GDDR5 masks.

 

[Fjodor2001]

Your graph is missing all of 2011 and 2012.

DDR3 prices have nearly doubled in the past 5 months.

Yes, I know it's not perfect.

The ideal graph would be something like this:

* Contains only DDR3 prices (and not DDR, DDR2, etc).
* Contains separate graphs for different DDR3 memory densities.
* Has history over the last 5 years or so.

I searched, but could not find any. So I thought I'd at least post one that fulfills the first two bullets, to complement the graph by ShintaiDK.

If someone finds a graph that fulfills all three bullets please post it, since it would be interesting to see.

 

[Idontcare]

Question (not necessarily to you): Is there a technical reason (meaning, not related to volume) that GDDR5 chips in lower speed bins would be more expensive to produce than DDR3? If yes, what difference would we be talking about?

As far as I understand GDDR5 and DDR3 are pretty similar in their internal structure and memory makers could switch their masks/production from one memory sort to the other within weeks if margins were noticeable higher. Well, at least if they have working GDDR5 masks.

No technical reason that I know of.

Yes, I know it's not perfect.

The ideal graph would be something like this:

* Contains only DDR3 prices (and not DDR, DDR2, etc).
* Contains separate graphs for different DDR3 memory densities.
* Has history over the last 5 years or so.

I searched, but could not find any. So I thought I'd at least post one that fulfills the first two bullets, to complement the graph by ShintaiDK.

If someone finds a graph that fulfills all three bullets please post it, since it would be interesting to see.

Only data like that which I know of is to be found on dramexchange.com, but you got to pay for it

 

[Fjodor2001]

Ok, well in lack of the perfect graph I'll post my general observations as I remember them by monitoring the DDR3 RAM prices every now and then:

* DDR3 RAM prices tend to fluctuate a bit up and down (due to e.g. new factories being built, factories going bust, higher memory densities being introduced, and so on). Somewhat like oil prices.
* The overall trend during the last 5 years has been that DDR3 RAM prices have fallen drastically.
* The last 3 months or so, DDR3 RAM prices have for some reason gone up quite a bit (50% or so), although from a very low level.
* DDR3 RAM prices still remain dirt cheap in my opinion. Looking at 1600 MHz versions, 8 GB (2x4GB) can be had for around $45-50 (see e.g. this), and 16 GB (2x8GB) for $90 (see e.g. this). But it's of course a matter of opinion what is considered "dirt cheap". :hmm: