Bad for AMD's budget platform AM4: DDR4 RAM to become even more expensive
DDR4, LPDDR4X and GDDR6 RAM is set to rise considerably in price over the next few months. There is talk of increases of up to 43 percent.
The price increases of DDR4 memory kits in recent weeks were apparently just the beginning. Market observer Trendforce estimates that DDR4 RAM for desktop PCs and notebooks will be 38 to 43 percent more expensive by the end of September.
In May, 32 GB DDR4-3200 memory was still available for less than 50 euros. Now there are only a few offers under 60 euros. The popular G.Skill Aegis kit (starting from 212,25 €) has become over 30 percent more expensive. If the Trendforce forecast comes true, prices above 80 euros for 32 GB can be expected.
32 GB DDR5 currently starts at around 75 euros. In the next three months, prices are expected to rise by three to eight percent. The supply situation appears to be much more relaxed than for DDR4.
The world's largest DRAM manufacturers Samsung, SK Hynix and Micron are continuing to convert their production lines to newer memory, such as LPDDR5X, GDDR7 and high-bandwidth memory (HBM3/HBM4) in addition to DDR5. At the same time, PC and server manufacturers are trying to fill their stocks for their existing platforms. This is leading to high demand while the supply of DDR4 bars is decreasing.
(Image:Â Trendforce)
Bad for budget PCs
The DDR4 price increases are particularly affecting AMD's AM4 platform around the Ryzen 5000 processors. Due to the lower prices and the good performance even today, the AM4 platform remains popular, although there are already two new processor generations for the successor AM5.
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Similarly, LPDDR4X is also set to become more expensive, by 23 to 28 percent according to Trendforce. LPDDR4X memory is primarily used in notebooks. AMD's Zen 3 mobile processors Ryzen 6000 and their new edition Ryzen 7030, for example, only support LPDDR4X and DDR4, as does Intel's Tiger Lake (Core i-1100G). Alder Lake (Core i-12000) and Raptor Lake (Core i-13000) can handle LPDDR4X, LPDDR5X, DDR4 and DDR5. Corresponding models are still popular in sales.
Doubly bad for AMD: GDDR6 components are also set to become 28 to 33 percent more expensive. They are used in all current Radeon graphics cards, including the Radeon RX 9070 XT and RX 9070. Although the memory only makes up a small part of the overall price, a long-term reduction in supply could lead to price increases in retail.
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