blackphoenix77

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Why have prices all cut in half for RAM recently? I don't mind, I went ahead and bought another 512mb for $50. Will be getting it sometime next week. Right now I have 2x256mb pc3200, running dual channel. I was wonder if I would lose dual channel when I put in another 512mb stick of ram, and if I did lose it, how much performance loss I would get?

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You should be able to run dual channel with odd # of RAM with your setup.

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blackphoenix77

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Cool. Does anyone know why memory prices dropped so dramatically?

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Overstock and not enough buyers. There was a thread about it in here recently...

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blackphoenix77

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Oh, I see. Well, everyone buy now! I imagine prices will go back up.

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blackphoenix77

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Isn't there an easier way to tell? I've got <A HREF="http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=20-141-413&depa=0" target="_new">this one</A>, it's ValueRAM, so I don't expect it to be too good.

<font color=blue>AthlonXP-M 2500+(12x200)</font color=blue>|<font color=green>Abit NF7-S</font color=green>|<font color=red>Kingston DDR400 2x256Mb</font color=red>|<font color=purple>NEC Accucync90 19"</font color=purple>|<font color=black>Sapphire 9600XT</font color=black>
 
You can get the chip data off the RAM and google it...

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mozzartusm

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Ive got some Kingston Value RAM that I use to test with and its damn good RAM for the price.

Intel P4 550(3.4)<font color=red>@4.2 posted 4.8</font color=red>
ASUS P5AD2-E-Prem
Ballistix PC2 5300@<font color=red>DDR2 780</font color=red>
ATI Radeon X800XL <font color=red>459/609</font color=red>
TT 680W PSU
 

BrentUnitedMem

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Memory prices change dramatically, unlike other computer components which do not change so much.

Part of the reason why this market moves so fast is mainly due to the following reasons:
1) Memory modules are small. They can physically be transported in small package. A package worth 1 million dollars can be carried by hand by one individual.
2) It takes nothing more than silicone and alot of money to build semiconductor chips. Except for oxygen, silicone is the most abundant material on this planet.
3) For the majority of companies in the spot market, it is a cash business; when the money moves fast, so does the market.

Why are the prices low you ask?
Normally, this time of the year is the lowest for the market. The market picks up before Christmas and about August when there are plenty of 'back to school' sales on computer parts. Because both these events have past, the prices have dropped. Also, April is tax time, and usually prices drop a little as a result. However, April last year there was a dramatic price increases towards the end of the month on all modules due to brokers buying and holding parts.

As Rugger mentioned, the price drop can be caused by not enough buyers and overstock. What sometime typically happens, when price is low, brokers come in to buy parts and hold them, waiting for prices to go up before selling. Unfortunately, when brokers buy, since they are not the real consumers, prices have a chance to drop again shortly after.



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blackphoenix77

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Woohoo, got my ram today, installed , and seems to be working fine. Should I reformat?

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blackphoenix77

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..yeah, I went ahead and reforatted. Like 3 times, I messed up a bit.

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BrentUnitedMem

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The memory market is a unique business, many players, brokers and gamblers alike. Memory modules are small and there are many different types.. but they all share the same property: memory chips. So the components are quite simple: PCB + memory chips. Also the demand for memory is higher than any other electronic product. These ingredients, and also because the memory market is not heavily regulated attracts many buyers who want to sell memory.

The chemistry for graphics cards and other electronic products is much different. Not only do you have memory on a graphics card, but you also have a CPU chip and other components too. Besides, there are fewer companies who sell graphics cards, and Intel ownes most of the market share (most of which are integrated solutions). Nvidia and ATI are other big players. There is little room for Mom and Pop or other players/brokers/gamblers in this area.

And for processors it's pretty much AMD or Intel.

Unlike memory and CPUs, most other electronic equipment tends to die after a short amount of time. For memory that has been used for years, it retains nearly 100% of its current value.

And so.. it's a different playing field for memory. Brokers keep prices high. And when the market control tightens, there are fewer players.. and the price stabilizes. Right now the memory prices are where they should be (LOW). Which probably means that there are fewer brokers willing to take a risk. A stable market is composed of manufacturers, authorized distributors, retailers and consumer.
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BrentUnitedMem

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Taiwan paints a nice picture of the general market.

It's simple really.. but it's a tuff market to be in.

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"Memory with lifetime warranty? So, whose lifetime is that?"
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blackphoenix77

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Yeah....and my computer runs faster now. I can't remember the last time I heard my hard drive being accessed, which is good. Because I have most of my files on bigger Maxtor hard drive, which has become really loud lately. Good thing I saved the receipt. :)

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