Comment by Sesse__
16 hours ago
A friend and I bought RAM for our aging servers at eBay in 2024. That was 512GB (16x32GB -- we split it equally) of DDR4 ECC 2133MHz, registered. For… $536.86 plus shipping.
Somehow it feels like we got a pretty good deal, in retrospect. (My server has been since replaced, and I can tell you, 256GB of DDR5 ECC was more than that! There's been a further doubling or two of prices since I bought, though. I think I could maybe sell half the RAM and finance the entire server…)
Currently 128GB of normal non-ECC DDR5 as a 2x64 set is around 2000 euro and increasing...
I know the only manufacturer of such 64GB modules: Crucial (Micron), but Micron doesn't sell new chips to Crucial, thus almost no chance to get them anymore (though few months ago there were some). Kingston (using Micron, Hynix and Samsung) still does not have 64GB.
Soon Zen 6 should become available (well, or not so soon). With 7200 MTs memory controller? I haven't seen such JEDEC modules at all. Are they possible without the additional clock driver (like on 6400 CUDIMMs)?
Interesting, that explains why getting 4x48 = 192gb is around 2400 euros, so 1.2x the price for 1.5x the capacity.
Speed has indeed decreased for the modules you can actually buy, while historically you would get faster and faster modules at lower prices in the years after the introduction is a new DDR standard.
One would think just some classes and forms of RAM increased in price. I have 128 GB (2 x 64GB DDR5 SO-DIMM) in my home NAS. Home NAS. Those nice ugreen DXP8800 Plus thingamabobs. It'd be over 2k euros for RAM alone now. Ridiculous. Add to that two SN850X 4TB SSDs, and 8 (+1 unpacked spare) IronWolves Pro and it's now a serious worth.
No end in sight.
2x16GB costs around $190 right now, or closer to $375 if you want ECC.
Not much cheaper than DDR5.