Any idea when RAM prices might fall again?

[Executioner]

I went to Crucial to order a 256 meg stick for my father-in-law for his Abit BH6, but the price is almost $100. It seems like a few months ago it was less than $50. What happend?

[1911a]

Prices went up...

[1911a]

Prices went up...

[PreDatoR]

yeah they shot up around xmas and have slowly been going up since... have no idea when they might drop... U can think Intel for releasing their DDR board which started this all....lol

[poop]

Actually, I thought it was a correction for artificially deflated prices. I was under the impression that hte RAM makers wanted to make a profit, so they raised prices.

So the price drops won't be coming any time soon.

[Lmandrake]

I don't think we will see those prices again... The industry expected demand in 2001 to be as strong as 2000 so they were pumping out RAM like mad, and new fabs had come on line to add capacity. The PC market began to fall on its face during the summer and fell off the edge of the table after Sept. 11.

The result was a huge oversupply that dropped prices way down. This oversupply has been eaten up now and production is being managed more carefully.

I just wished I had loaded up on PC2100...

[blackhawk]

Fourth quarter of the year is traditionally the highest demand time for memory but the fourth quarter was disappointing and 09/11 just finished the demand. Huge overstock so they had to sell at a loss.

Now there's some consolidation in the market with a few big plants changing hands and prices going back up. Memory has become like oil or any other commodity. I dont think you'll see prices that low again unless there's another big oversupply.