Will SB's popularity cause DDR3 RAM prices to rise?

[CosmicMight]

Picked up 4g about 3 weeks ago for $55 at the Egg...it just dropped in the last week or so to $50.

And what FrostedFlakes said about sums it up. I think people forget (I can see one in this thread) this is an enthusiast site. There are a LOT of comps out there - including the dinosaur I am typing this on - still running DDR2.

 

[Adul]

you are right, I made an error.
Although it still will not affect pricing, not only is AMD's market-share tiny, but those processors support both DDR3 and DDR2 so many people have been getting them with DDR3.

we are only human

 

[Patrick Wolf]

Many manufacturers are announcing DDR3 modules targeting SB, most of them (if not all) are 1.5V modules with C7 latency.

1.5v with C7 at 1333? Where'd you get the info about manufactueres making DDR3 targeted at SB?

 

[combust3r]

http://www.guru3d.com/news/patriot-viper-xtreme-division-2-and-g2-memory-kits/

http://www.techpowerup.com/137415/K...esis-DDR3-Memory-Series-for-Sandy-Bridge.html

http://www.nordichardware.com/news/...oltage-of-new-dominator-gt-ddr3-memories.html

I can't find all the articles I've read these days about this, but it seems that many manufacturers are prepping memory specifically designed for SB. And all of them (AFAIK) are 1.5V.

 

[Patrick Wolf]

That sounds like high frequency enthusiast stuff. I read 1.5v is just to spec and there's a +10% tolerance. Besides it's not like 1.5v, C7 stuff doesn't already exist.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...CE&PageSize=20

 

[combust3r]

Well considering that IMC should be the same as in current i5 lineup - that could be true. But info on this one is a bit vague and all the previews so far had 1333MHz DDR3 in test setup. Wiki is contradictory too:

Improved memory controller with maximum 25.6*GByte/s bandwidth supports DDR3-1600 dual channel RAM and two load/store operations per cycle.

and in the charts below: 2× DDR3-1333



And when I read the news about memory modules that are targeted for SB and that most of them are rated 1.5V makes you kinda wonder. So just to be on the safe side, if someone is jumping the gun and buying memory now I would strongly suggest to go for fastest possible 1.5V modules.

Anyway, reviews are going to flood the net this week so we will see.

 

[Patrick Wolf]

Yeah I saw that too, damn wiki! Really hope the reviews shed light on the issue. Anand's own preview says:

Finally, if you focus on multiplier-only overclocking you lose the ability to increase memory bandwidth as you increase CPU clock speed. The faster your CPU, the more data it needs and thus the faster your memory subsystem needs to be in order to scale well. As a result, on P67 motherboards you’ll be able to adjust your memory ratios to support up to DDR3-2133.

But no mention of voltage. *sigh*

 

[combust3r]

OK, I've seen tests with 1.65V DDR3 and SB so those memory modules should run just fine. I was supprised however that H67 only support 1333MHz and you can not (by any means) get your memory to run higher than that. They've locked down H67 pretty much.

So regarding prices now, after all this reading, I think that prices won't crumble for 1.65V modules as I thought it's gonna be.

 

[sandorski]

After skimming a couple Reviews, I don't think there's going to be a huge upswing in CPU/DDR3 sales. SB certainly brings top Performance down into Affordable/Budget markets, but it's not some new level leaving current CPU's way behind. Unless you're an Overclocker, but that Market is too small to significantly affect RAM Pricing(some Retail outlets will certainly cash in on the enthusiasm).

 

[Patrick Wolf]

Don't know how low memory is going to get this month, but decided to jump on this:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820231303

$10 promo code + $20 gift card = $40. Hope this was a good deal as I don't know when I'll build my next system where's prices may be lower on similar specced memory (but I doubt it).

 

[Patrick Wolf]

OK, I've seen tests with 1.65V DDR3 and SB so those memory modules should run just fine. I was supprised however that H67 only support 1333MHz and you can not (by any means) get your memory to run higher than that. They've locked down H67 pretty much.

So regarding prices now, after all this reading, I think that prices won't crumble for 1.65V modules as I thought it's gonna be.

Shit dude, you were basically correct. Look at this. Same stuff I just bought except 1.5v and looks cooler.

Going to return it.

 

[NoobyDoo]

http://www.digitimes.com/news/a20110105PR200.html

As of December 10, the contract price for a 2GB DDR3 DRAM module stood at US$21.00 - down more than 50% from US$44.40 just six months ago ... DRAM prices will continue their descent for at least the first half of 2011, with 2GB DDR3 modules dipping to less than US$15 by the end of the second quarter, according to iSuppli. After that, the balance between supply and demand is expected to be more favorable at the end of the second half, which then could temporarily slow down or halt the drop in prices.

 

[IntelUser2000]

After skimming a couple Reviews, I don't think there's going to be a huge upswing in CPU/DDR3 sales. SB certainly brings top Performance down into Affordable/Budget markets, but it's not some new level leaving current CPU's way behind.

The i3 2100 chip is in the range for mass market chips. Also when Pentium Sandy Bridge chips arrive later this year majority of the market will transition to DDR3. Although I don't get why the DDR3 prices are dropping so high demand might merely stop the price declines.

 

[sandorski]

The i3 2100 chip is in the range for mass market chips. Also when Pentium Sandy Bridge chips arrive later this year majority of the market will transition to DDR3. Although I don't get why the DDR3 prices are dropping so high demand might merely stop the price declines.

Probably weak PC sales and more DDR3 Production, although I don't know the numbers for either. DDR3 has been on the Market for quite awhile already, so Production has probably become routine with high yields and possibly new production lines recently just coming online. All speculation on my part.