Memory and Pricing

Toggle sidebar Toggle sidebar
G

Guest

Guest
I'm aware that this forum has seen many arguments for and against RDRAM, for and against DDR SDRAM, and will likely see more to come. In all of the heated arguments about which type of memory performs better, I wonder if such a seemingly small, yet important point might be overlooked: that of the total memory the user can afford.

Recently, I've seen someone asking if 512MB of non-DDR memory would be better than 256MB of DDR. Forget the performance differential! Forget the memory types! Forget it all! 512MB of *any* RAM is gonna be better than 256MB of *any* other RAM. Why? Because when you're out of memory, your system starts to "swap," that is, using hard drive as if it were virtual memory.

And then... lo and behold! The once-proud owner of the "wow-how-fast" memory will be reduced to the crawling speed of his hard drive (about 100 times slower than the slowest RAM), while the user of the "lack-luster" memory is gonna proceed apace and smile innocently, while running the very same memory intensive application.

So, what does that mean for the eternal question: What is gonna be the memory of the future? Well, the one that the user can afford most for the same buck, of course! That is why we see the DDR prices coming so close to the non-DDR prices (so that no one would want to compare 256MB of one against 512MB of the other). And that is why RDRAM's only chance to succeed is to lower its cost for the average user. Or else, to pray with the Intel's "RDRAM-only support mantra."

But then, once the first SDRAM chipset for Pentium 4 is released, guess what memory is gonna be the most popular with the Intel's flagship CPU? Well, if it means choosing between 512MB of SDRAM and 128MB of RDRAM, it's gonna be a no-brainer. RDRAM might be several times faster, but how fast is your hard drive? :)

Leo
 
R

Raystonn

Distinguished
Apr 12, 2001
2,273
0
19,780
If you are planning on maxxing out your motherboard with memory regardless of price, then you would want the best performer. I have a machine with 2 gigabytes of RDRAM.

-Raystonn

= The views stated herein are my personal views, and not necessarily the views of my employer. =
 
R

Raystonn

Distinguished
Apr 12, 2001
2,273
0
19,780
Sorry about what? It's cheaper than a DDR solution would have been. I get three times the bandwidth of (non-DDR) SDRAM for just under 3 times the cost. It seems reasonable to me. For DDR you pay more and get less:

2gigs 1.07GB/s (PC133) CAS2 SDRAM = $892
2gigs 3.20GB/s (PC800) RDRAM = $2476
2gigs 2.13GB/s (PC2100) CAS2.5 DDR = $2716 (CAS2 is not yet available in 512MB modules)

-Raystonn

= The views stated herein are my personal views, and not necessarily the views of my employer. =
 
mpjesse

mpjesse

Splendid
Dec 31, 2007
7,214
0
25,810
I disagree. Almost nothing in Win98 or Me will require or even need more than 256megs. Now, if your using your computer as a server or something- then yeah, you want more memory. But for the average gamer and user, 256megs is plenty.

When WinXP is released, 512megs MIGHT be needed. But that also depends on the version (Professional or Home). I currently have a BETA 2 version of XP and it runs smooth as silk under a full load (thanks to the Win2K kernel) I personally have 256 megs of PC2100 (CAS2). All my games run fine. I also use my computer frequently as a game server- almost no drop in FPS or lag.

I noticed that you made frequent references to swapping. No matter how much memory you have, Windows will always use swapping. Because it's stupid. Another problem is that WinMe doesn't support more than 512megs and has problems addressing right at 512megs.

Do some benchmarks comparing the performace of a computer under heavy use with 256megs and 512. You won't see a difference. Heavy use meaning: many windows opened and many programs running at the same time.

-MP Jesse

"Signatures Still Suck"
 
G

Guest

Guest
Well, it depends on what you're running, I guess. Try running Borland JBuilder on anything with less than 256MB. :)

Or is it just me that no matter how much memory I have, I always manage to run out of it? Looking back at my computer history, this seems to be the case. :)

Leo
 
J

jg38141

Distinguished
Dec 31, 2007
832
0
18,980
sorry you bought rdram. It's ok you'll survive. That which does not kill us makes us stronger.

My Jesus is whiter than your Jesus.
 
R

Raystonn

Distinguished
Apr 12, 2001
2,273
0
19,780
You seem to have some kind of religious fanaticism against RDRAM. It's technologically superior to SDRAM, so I suggest you get over it. (For 2 gigabytes it is also cheaper.) Let's not turn the memory forum into a flamefest similar to the CPU forum.

-Raystonn

= The views stated herein are my personal views, and not necessarily the views of my employer. =
 
J

jg38141

Distinguished
Dec 31, 2007
832
0
18,980
It is technologically newer, true, but superiority implies a gain in performance, upgradability and price. And while it has better bandwidth for now, it seems to be difficult to upgrade- no new rdram has come out in how long?- performance gains are rapidly dwindling, and the price, while currently about the same as ddr, is set to go up conciderably once Rambus bites it. Now I will also agree with you that I have a fanatasism against rambus, but not rdram except for the fact that it is the product of evil, forced on the american public through evil and will promote evil faster than most other forms of ram. It's all about bad business. Now, I made my money off rambus in the market before they went under and for that I am gratefull, but that was dirty money and I'm glad to be rid of it.

My Jesus is whiter than your Jesus.
 
G

Guest

Guest
I'm not against RDRAM. I'm only saying that in order to succeed, a new kind of RAM needs to make itself available at the competitive prices. Because the total amount of memory will always be more important than its relative performance.

Why is RDRAM so expensive, anyway? If it's because of the incentives paid over to the manufacturers, then what can I say?

Leo
 
R

Raystonn

Distinguished
Apr 12, 2001
2,273
0
19,780
"Why is RDRAM so expensive, anyway?"

Perhaps you should be asking why PC2100 DDR is so expensive based on the current prices. It has 2/3 the bandwidth and costs a few hundred dollars more in the 2GB pricing I researched above. Prices are set based on supply and demand. (Non-DDR) SDRAM is incredibly cheap because the market is flooded with them.

-Raystonn

= The views stated herein are my personal views, and not necessarily the views of my employer. =
 
G

Guest

Guest
You probably refer to CAS2 PC2100. That's also a good question why it is so much more expensive than CAS2.5 PC2100. With the performance difference between the two being negligible for all practical purposes, I'd get CAS2.5 any time ver CAS2. Will end up with more memory for the same buck, too. :)

Leo
 
R

Raystonn

Distinguished
Apr 12, 2001
2,273
0
19,780
"no new rdram has come out in how long?"

PC800 RDRAM is relatively new. PC1066 is planned for release in Q3 of this year. I don't see a problem.

"the price, while currently about the same as ddr, is set to go up conciderably once Rambus bites it"

Rambus is not going anywhere. Even if they did, that would be completely irrelevant to RDRAM itself because they don't actually make any of the RDRAM. That is the responsibility of memory manufacturers such as Samsung. If Rambus were to decide to close up shop their patents would likely be sold, probably to someone like Samsung. Innovations and manufacturing would not suffer at all.

As far as your claim that RDRAM is somehow a product of evil, all I can say is 'Please grow up.'

-Raystonn

= The views stated herein are my personal views, and not necessarily the views of my employer. =
 
B

beans

Distinguished
Jan 31, 2001
128
0
18,680
jg38141 -

'Now, I made my money off rambus in the market before they went under and for that I am gratefull, but that was dirty money and I'm glad to be rid of it.'

Just how did you get rid of it, if I may ask?


beans
 
J

jg38141

Distinguished
Dec 31, 2007
832
0
18,980
You really have no since of humor at all. Oh well. Inovations- 1066 slated to come out q3- we'll see about that. Actually rambus going under is quite relavent- they may sell their patends- but there is a few month period in which they would be floating in limbo- and since all rdram inovations originally start at rambus technologies who then sells their ideas to other companies, yes rdram inovations will greatly suffer. Also without parent company Rambus to force their memory on everyone, marketing will all but cease and demand will drop and rdram will fizzel out. As far as the product of evil thing, like I said, you have no since of humor. If growing up means I loose even the ability to laugh at what is obviously silly, then screw you, I'm staying young.

My Jesus is whiter than your Jesus.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

TRENDING THREADS

Latest posts

Moderators online

Share this page

COMPANY
RESOURCES
FOLLOW
Top Bottom