G.Skill defends DDR5 EXPO ULL pricing – Blames memory IC price hikes
Why are DDR5 EXPO ULL memory kits more expensive? The reality is that they aren’t, kinda
G.Skill’s first AMD EXPO ULL DDR5 memory modules are now available, and early retail listings show pricing far above that of G.Skill’s non-ULL EXPO modules. Since then, G.Skill has clarified why their newer memory modules are more expensive. Simply put, the price of memory chips has increased, and older DDR5 memory stock at retailers is being priced at their older, lower price.
When AMD unveiled EXPO, they claimed that ULL modules can deliver up to 4% higher gaming performance than standard AMD EXPO modules. This was with an AMD Ryzen 7 9700X CPU. This applied to both average and 1st percentile framerates. This highlights how DDR5 ULL modules can minimise framerate dips and maximise gaming framerates.
A new G.Skill EXPO ULL DDR5 memory kit has a “similar price point” to standard (newly produced) AMD EXPO kits. That’s what G.Skill had to say on the matter. Older DDR5 memory kits are still available at retailers at lower prices, creating a price gap between older and newly released memory modules.
Previously, David McAfee from AMD mentioned that the new AMD EXPO Ultra Low Latency kits would be introduced at a similar price point to standard AMD EXPO memory kits.
Currently, we have maintained pricing for our AMD EXPO ULL memory kits in line with our non-ULL products. However, due to the recent increase in DRAM IC prices, along with retailers still selling inventory purchased before these cost increases, a pricing gap has emerged in the market. This is the reason for the difference highlighted in recent media articles.
The DRAM supply crisis has created a strange memory landscape, especially within the DIY PC market. The price of memory is still increasing, but the price of retail memory kits has not changed that much at many retailers. The reason for this is that DDR5 memory kits aren’t selling well. That means there is still a lot of older stock on retail shelves. Once this stock sells, retail DRAM prices will rise again.
Sadly, lowered demand from the DIY PC market will not lower memory prices. The DIY PC market accounts for a small amount of overall DRAM demand. AI hyperscalers and their insane datacenter buildouts have caused the DRAM shortage. Unless the AI bubble bursts and demand for datacenter DRAM evaporates, DDR5 DRAM prices will not decrease anytime soon.
Hate the memory makers and the AI market, not G.Skill or AMD EXPO ULL
AMD EXPO ULL DDR5 memory shouldn’t be much more expensive than standard AMD EXPO memory modules. They just require a slightly tighter memory binning process and stricter stability tests. The problem is that newly produced DRAM modules are much more expensive than those produced mere months ago. Memory prices continue to rise, making new DRAM modules more expensive. The problem with AMD EXPO ULL DDR5 memory modules isn’t that they are more expensive than standard AMD EXPO DDR5 memory; it’s that they need to compete with older, less expensive DDR5 modules. Thanks AI…
You can join the discussion on G.Skill’s comments on DDR5 EXPO ULL memory kit prices on the OC3D Forums.
