Market prices are now dictated by memory.
Market prices are now dictated by memory.
Michael Crider’s headline at PCWorld today aptly illustrates the absurdity of the current PC memory shortage: retailers such as Central Computers in the San Francisco Bay Area are starting to sell RAM at market rates, akin to how you might purchase the daily special at a seafood eatery.
“Prices are shifting daily as producers and vendors respond to constrained supply and heightened demand,” states a notice displayed in the shop’s window, as noticed by Steve Lin. “As a result, we are unable to display fixed prices at this moment.”
Micro Center appears to be following suit: “Due to market fluctuations, we kindly request that you consult a Sales Associate for pricing,” remarks a message seen in-store by Redditor CassTexas (via Tom’s Hardware).
It’s challenging to overstate the rapid changes in RAM prices and their effect on computer affordability — and this could soon extend to other areas as well, as devices ranging from game consoles to smartphones depend on RAM for operation.
Just yesterday marked three months since I purchased 32GB of memory for my gaming PC, and the cost of that very kit has surged over threefold since then. It’s now $300 more expensive. ($440 as opposed to $130, in case you were wondering; a more commonly found variant of the same kit jumped from $105 to $400.) Some prices have doubled since October; although there are still some 32GB kits available for as low as $230, a 64GB DDR5 kit can easily cost you $700, $800, or even $900.
Certain highly anticipated product launches could be affected by memory pricing. Valve indicated the RAM shortage as one reason it could not confirm a specific price for its Steam Machine at this time.
As the rampant GPU prices from earlier this year have finally stabilized, skyrocketing memory costs might cause them to surge again. Every graphics card requires substantial VRAM, and more is preferable, with indications that Nvidia and AMD are planning to hike prices to counter the shortage. Digital Foundry suggests purchasing a GPU at or below MSRP while you still have the chance, especially one with 10GB or more of VRAM.
Leaker Moore’s Law Is Dead claims that Microsoft might need to increase Xbox prices once again due to this, while Sony has reportedly hoarded enough RAM for the PS5 to last several months.
Epic CEO Tim Sweeney states it could take years for high-end gaming to recover from the RAM shortage, largely due to AI. He explains that “manufacturers are diverting cutting-edge DRAM capacity to fulfill AI demand, where data centers are offering significantly higher bids than consumer electronics manufacturers.”
