Question Is the cost of RAM going up everywhere?

[Steltek]

Corsair stupidity.

This apparently is a consequence when you lay off all the people that actually know what they are doing.

This kit was last offered at that exact price back in mid-November, as I ordered one at that time and actually received it.

Corsair had to ship it all the way to the US from Japan to get it to me, and it immediately went out of stock at that time. I know that for a fact as I unsuccessfully tried to order a second one.

 

[fastandfurious6]

DDR5 will be the main RAM market until at least 2030

DDR6 is simply late ('27 - '28 ?) and won't pick up too quickly

 

[DrMrLordX]

As i see even high power supplies going up now too along with high capacity NVME's.

NAND is under price pressure from the AI boom, so NVME prices going up should come as no surprise.

 

[DZero]

At this pace, don't be surprised if high tier keyboards and mice become a rarity due lack of components.

 

[Steltek]

At this pace, don't be surprised if high tier keyboards and mice become a rarity due lack of components.

Not just keyboards and mice. Motherboards, power supplies, CPU/GPU coolers (both air and liquid), case suppliers - all of them are going to be taking major hits. Especially the higher-end stuff which has the largest profit margins for the manufacturers.

It still remains to be seen how consumer CPUs are going to fare, but I suspect there will be consequences for them as well.

 

[Schmide]

Not just keyboards and mice. Motherboards, power supplies, CPU/GPU coolers (both air and liquid), case suppliers - all of them are going to be taking major hits. Especially the higher-end stuff which has the largest profit margins for the manufacturers.

It still remains to be seen how consumer CPUs are going to fare, but I suspect there will be consequences for them as well.

That is an odd metric. Corsair makes all that stuff, yet they are the one's leading the charge away from it.

 

[DAPUNISHER]

The pain is just starting. Future production has already been sold. Do not expect things to get better until 2029 or later.

https://www.tomshardware.com/pc-com...the-chip-shortage-to-spread-to-other-segments

I remember some JAFO debating with me back in 2020 that all the doom scrying was a nothingburger. I don't think I've seen them here since.

 

[DZero]

The pain is just starting. Future production has already been sold. Do not expect things to get better until 2029 or later.

https://www.tomshardware.com/pc-com...the-chip-shortage-to-spread-to-other-segments

I remember some JAFO debating with me back in 2020 that all the doom scrying was a nothingburger. I don't think I've seen them here since.

If somehow China now blocks the rare earths, the impact would be devastating for the industry in general.

 

[ToTTenTranz]

The pain is just starting. Future production has already been sold. Do not expect things to get better until 2029 or later.

https://www.tomshardware.com/pc-com...the-chip-shortage-to-spread-to-other-segments

I don't believe this for one second.

That would mean the collapse of client compute everywhere. It would collapse smartphones, laptops, gaming consoles, local servers, automobiles, industrial edge computing, etc. It would be Samsung shooting themselves in the foot because at some point they wouldn't be able to sell their own laptops, smartphones and tablets which give them a lot more revenue than server memory.

There's absolutely no way the market wouldn't correct until 2029. 3 years of RAM becoming unavailable or priced like it is now would be a global disaster, and in the middle of it we'd have governments asking what the hell is going on and taking extreme measures to make it stop. Especially in a day and age where the foundational AI models for which all this RAM is going are being mostly used for AI slop and haven't been able to move the needle towards Altman's and Huang's "General AI" promises in years.

 

[Golgatha]

I don't believe this for one second.

That would mean the collapse of client compute everywhere.

I think that's the endgame myself. Namely, make client computing extremely expensive and repurpose all the AI hardware for remote computing when the AI bubble bursts. Gotta have something to do with all this hardware they're hoovering up after all. Further, I predict cloud computing will be a cheap service at first like Netflix, Office 360, Adobe, XBox Game Pass, Spotify, etc., and then they'll put the screws to you once basically everyone has migrated over; different industries but same enshitification playbook.

Myself, I'm looking to expand my self-hosting of music and movies, and looking for open-source alternatives to Windows and Office going forward. I already have open-source alternatives for every other piece of paid software I used to use, all my media is ripped and recoded (CD, DVD, and Bluray) and 4K Bluray isn't worth the time and storage space to rip, so I'll keep to Fandango and discs for newer movies.

 

[Steltek]

I don't believe this for one second.

That would mean the collapse of client compute everywhere. It would collapse smartphones, laptops, gaming consoles, local servers, automobiles, industrial edge computing, etc. It would be Samsung shooting themselves in the foot because at some point they wouldn't be able to sell their own laptops, smartphones and tablets which give them a lot more revenue than server memory.

There's absolutely no way the market wouldn't correct until 2029. 3 years of RAM becoming unavailable or priced like it is now would be a global disaster, and in the middle of it we'd have governments asking what the hell is going on and taking extreme measures to make it stop. Especially in a day and age where the foundational AI models for which all this RAM is going are being mostly used for AI slop and haven't been able to move the needle towards Altman's and Huang's "General AI" promises in years.

The billionaires don't want you to own anything. Instead, they want to be the sole owners of that infrastructure and force you to rent it from them using dumb terminals via monthly subscriptions.

And, BTW, Bezos is not the only one of the billionaire boyz gang that have espoused this ridiculous future.

 

[ToTTenTranz]

I think that's the endgame myself. Namely, make client computing extremely expensive and repurpose all the AI hardware for remote computing when the AI bubble bursts.

You still need something that does local processing even if it's just for video decoding and little else, and for that you still need RAM. Factories aren't going to run production lines on the cloud, most of them aren't even connected to the internet. Cars aren't going to run inference on the cloud. And as much compute as you may possibly have on the cloud, if you're using ROP-less GPUs like the H200 then you can't run any games at all.

Further, I predict client computing it will be cheap at first like Netflix, Office 360, Adobe, XBox Game Pass, Spotify, etc. and then they'll put the screws to you once basically everyone has migrated over; different industries but same enshitification playbook.

You mean cloud computing, right?

The billionaires don't want you to own anything. Instead, they want to be the sole owners of that infrastructure and force you to rent it from them using dumb terminals via monthly subscriptions.

Meh, Bezos is simply trying to sell his Luna service which is probably yet another failure in the making, after Stadia.

 

[Golgatha]

You mean cloud computing, right?

Yes and fixed. Thanks!

 

[Golgatha]

You still need something that does local processing even if it's just for video decoding and little else, and for that you still need RAM. Factories aren't going to run production lines on the cloud, most of them aren't even connected to the internet. Cars aren't going to run inference on the cloud. And as much compute as you may possibly have on the cloud, if you're using ROP-less GPUs like the H200 then you can't run any games at all.

Thin clients need minimal amounts of RAM to operate for cloud computing. Factories and car makers will just pass the additional costs on to the consumer.

 

[fastandfurious6]

Hey guys, is this thread inherently, unavoidably becoming political?

Is it offtopic to ask why there's a rule "no politics" in tech forums, conferences, companies... basically in the entire tech world? (except identity politics LBGT/DEI/diversity where it benefits them but obviously these have nothing to do with the matter at hand here...)

 

[ToTTenTranz]

Hey guys, is this thread inherently, unavoidably becoming political?

Only in the sense that governments will step in hard if the AI datacenter memory craze starts screwing up the availability personal computers and smartphones, which politicians and their wives use as much as we do.

And it wouldn't even be an unpopular action for them, it would be win-win. The general public is completely fed up with the AI fever, so standing up to that would get them lots of votes. Just look at the CES aftermath.

 

[fastandfurious6]

Amazon's owner, Jeff Bezos, openly pushes for:

The billionaires don't want you to own anything. Instead, they want to be the sole owners of that infrastructure and force you to rent it from them using dumb terminals via monthly subscriptions.

And, BTW, Bezos is not the only one of the billionaire boyz gang that have espoused this ridiculous future.

Isn't this extremely political?

Out of all superpower governments in the world, who is going to step in?

USA or China?

 

[bba-tcg]

Hey guys, is this thread inherently, unavoidably becoming political?

Is it offtopic to ask why there's a rule "no politics" in tech forums, conferences, companies... basically in the entire tech world? (except identity politics LBGT/DEI/diversity where it benefits them but obviously these have nothing to do with the matter at hand here...)

The why is tribalism.

 

[bba-tcg]

Amazon's owner, Jeff Bezos, openly pushes for:




Isn't this extremely political?

Out of all superpower governments in the world, who is going to step in?

USA or China?

Not really political.

 

[carrotmania]

So, update.
I bit the bullet. I feel dirty. But I also want new hardware. And at least I bought into the worst time to buy RAM in years, at the best time!

I bought 2x 64GB 6000mhz CL36 for just under £500 each. By the time it was delivered over the weekend, the packs had gone up to £579. And now they are out of stock. And the next cheapest pack is £690.
I bought a 4TB Samsung 990Pro, and somehow got it for £289. That day the price went up to £346. By the Monday it was £411. You can still grab it for the lower price as it comes and goes on Amazon, but the place where I bought the major of the components for the build, the 4TB 990 Pro is £498 today.
So I spent £3000 last last Friday. It's been 10 days. Today the build would be £3500 minimum, or £3800 if you aren't lucky.

9950X3D
128GB 6000mhz CL36 (which apparently will do CL32 just fine, even 4 bank).
4TB 990Pro (7450MB/s)
9070XT
And... a Creative Labs soundcard! Cos it's 1999, apparently...



Unicorn Poop Mode Activated!

 

[Golgatha]

Not really political.

It's more of a class war and the billionaire's tactic is to divide and distract us with politics.

 

[DAPUNISHER]

Factories and car makers will just pass the additional costs on to the consumer.

Here in the states, that's certainly what every company will do. They will continue to gouge on top of it, raking in record profits.

I got a great deal on 2 2TB gen 4 nvme here on our forums. That gives me more than enough back ups of every PC part to see the other side of this latest SNAFU.

 

[FelixDeCat]

Proposed 100% tariff (tax) on non American made memory (non Micron), will slam all electronics. That includes Samsung and Hynix. Smartphones, teevees, fridges, Alexa devices, the list is endless.

 

[fastandfurious6]

It seems only the USA government and USA billionaires / AI overlords pursue this hardware hike.

Are the RAM companies legally obliged to keep the deal with openai indefinitely?

What are the chances the entire rest of the world will say "f*ck off USA" and find ways to entirely decouple from that country resulting in normal hardware prices?

 

[Golgatha]

Here in the states, that's certainly what every company will do. They will continue to gouge on top of it, raking in record profits.

I got a great deal on 2 2TB gen 4 nvme here on our forums. That gives me more than enough back ups of every PC part to see the other side of this latest SNAFU.

Yeah, I need my RAM and video cards to keep on working. Otherwise I'm ready to ride this out for the next 3-4 years.