Best DRAM Prices Just Around the Corner

Did you know that DRAM prices have fallen over 40% this year? Sounds pretty good. But did you know that if you can hold out on a new system or memory upgrade a few more weeks, even lower prices are just around the corner?

“The plummeting price of DRAM (dynamic RAM) chips bodes well for consumers buying a new PC or looking to add a bit of speed to their aging computers. PC vendors often put a bare minimum of DRAM into new computer systems to keep costs down, but many software applications will perform better the more RAM they have available.

“The ongoing price declines should also prompt DRAM makers to more aggressively promote the next generation of double data rate DRAM, dubbed DDR2, on which profit margins are greater. That could cause DDR2 to overtake DDR as the most widely used type of computer memory in the second half of the year, said Crystal Lee, DRAM industry analyst at ABN-Amro in Taipei.

“The falling prices will likely cause two major changes in mainstream DRAM technology this year: the transition to DDR2 from DDR, and to 512Mb chips from 256Mb ones, said Joyce Yang, a manager at DRAMeXchange. The company expects 512Mb DDR2 running at 533MHz to become the next mainstream chip, beating out the 400MHz version of the same chip, because the 533MHz chip runs faster with the front side bus used in newer PCs.

“But prices on both kinds of chips should continue to decline in the near term, thanks to increases in production and because the second quarter is traditionally the slow selling season for PCs. Users looking for more DRAM — or a new PC — should aim to make their purchase in late June, before makers begin restocking ahead of the back-to-school season, said Lee.” Source: InfoWorld