Needless to say, it is not an opportune moment to upgrade your system's memory or build a new system, given the exorbitant prices currently associated with memory. While favorable memory deals occasionally become available, they are scarce and tend to sell out rapidly. If an urgent need to purchase memory arises, it is advisable to buy directly from reputable retailers rather than supporting scalpers. It might be worth considering waiting until the AI bubble bursts, so that prices can return to their normal levels; however, there is no clear indication of when (or if) this will occur.
Follow Tom's Hardware on Google News , or add us as a preferred source , to get our latest news, analysis, & reviews in your feeds.
Zhiye Liu News Editor, RAM Reviewer & SSD Technician Zhiye Liu is a news editor, memory reviewer, and SSD tester at Tom’s Hardware. Although he loves everything that’s hardware, he has a soft spot for CPUs, GPUs, and RAM.
Thunder64 "If you buy from a scalper, you're paying more than 7 times what the memory kit is worth." An item is worth what someone will pay for it. If someone is willing to pay the 7x markup, then they have decided it is "worth" it to them. Naturally most people won't, but someone might decide it is worth it. Reply
ekio Thunder64 said: "If you buy from a scalper, you're paying more than 7 times what the memory kit is worth." An item is worth what someone will pay for it. If someone is willing to pay the 7x markup, then they have decided it is "worth" it to them. Naturally most people won't, but someone might decide it is worth it. Ok scalper… Being a scalper is like being even lower than a cockroach… I wish there were jail sentences for scalping. Reply
Thunder64 ekio said: Ok scalper… Being a scalper is like being even lower than a cockroach… I wish there were jail sentences for scalping. Tell me where I'm wrong? I wish I had a pile of RAM to sell right now. I suggest you look into economics a bit. Reply
vanadiel007 Thunder64 said: "If you buy from a scalper, you're paying more than 7 times what the memory kit is worth." An item is worth what someone will pay for it. If someone is willing to pay the 7x markup, then they have decided it is "worth" it to them. Naturally most people won't, but someone might decide it is worth it. This is not correct. The people buying this might do so out of necessity. That does not mean they consider it's worth it. Reply
Thunder64 vanadiel007 said: This is not correct. The people buying this might do so out of necessity. That does not mean they consider it's worth it. There is a difference between wants and needs. If you need it to make money you will pay. Otherwise it is not a necessity. Necessities are thing like food, shelter, clean water, I'd even add healthcare and Internet to the chagrin of some. Lots of pricey RAM isn't. Reply
Thunder64 Scalping or gouging is already illegal, but rarely enforced outside of certain instances. The price of gas/water before a hurricane for example. It's hard to interfere with two parties agreeing on a price for better or worse. Reply
ezst036 Thunder64 said: Tell me where I'm wrong? I wish I had a pile of RAM to sell right now. I suggest you look into economics a bit. I wish I had a pile of RAM to sell as well. There's a lot of jealousy out there. Sure, the scalping for 800 is wrong and ridiculous – but for someone who's now selling it at a profit for like 300 or 400 or some more "realistic" price based off of market conditions even though it used to be 75 or 100 or so, that's totally acceptable. Reply
DingusDog The only way to get RAM at a decent price now is to get lucky with a combo deal. Reply
TechieTwo Scalpers can only charge crazy prices if someone is willing to pay stupid prices. Reply
Key considerations
- Investor positioning can change fast
- Volatility remains possible near catalysts
- Macro rates and liquidity can dominate flows
Reference reading
- https://www.tomshardware.com/pc-components/ram/SPONSORED_LINK_URL
- https://www.tomshardware.com/pc-components/ram/ram-scalping-takes-hold-on-ebay-some-kits-selling-for-more-than-usd2-000-price-gouged-kits-fetch-7x-their-original-value-adding-almost-double-the-markup-on-already-inflated-prices#main
- https://www.tomshardware.com
- [Daily Due Diligence] NVDA NVDA
- Secretlab's Christmas Holiday gaming chair deals — up to $249 off select products, including deals on desks and accessories
- Semiconductor industry enters unprecedented ‘giga cycle’, says report — scale of artificial intelligence is rewriting compute, memory, networking, and storage e
- Semiconductor industry enters unprecedented ‘giga cycle’, says report — scale of artificial intelligence is rewriting compute, memory, networking, and storage e
- Into the Omniverse: How Smart City AI Agents Transform Urban Operations
Informational only. No financial advice. Do your own research.