DDR5 RAM has become the new standard for most consumer-grade PCs and laptops. While DDR4 is still around, the first DDR5 chips came out in 2018. However, the standard was officially released in 2020, and actual commercial kits made their first appearance by mid-2021. Back then, a kit of twin 16GB sticks at DDR5-4800 speeds launched at a price tag of $311. That’s more than three times the price of what you’ll pay today.
But that may change soon as DDR5 RAM prices are expected to continuing increasing in the coming months. Analysts from market research firm TrendForce suggest that the primary reason for this surge is being attributed to the manufacturers who are reallocating resources toward the production of High Bandwidth Memory (HBM).
As pointed out by Tom’s Hardware, TrendForce initially forecasted an increase in DRAM prices by 3% to 8%, but it now suggests a rise of 15% to 20%. This will be the third successive quarter where DRAM prices had a double-digit percentage growth. In April, server DRAM prices across all categories increased by 9% to 19%.
Avril Wu, TrendForce senior research vice president, said in his report that there has been a massive increase in demand for HBM. So much so that Micron and SK Hynix have confirmed that their supply of HBM is completely booked for the entirety of 2024 and a significant portion of 2025. This increase in demand is mostly due to the rapid adoption of AI, where accelerators specifically require unparalleled data speed and efficiency.
HBM prices are expected to increase as well, within the range of 5% to 10% next year. It is important to know that HBM is about five times pricier than DDR5. It commands a significantly higher cost due to its superior performance and capacity advantages over standard DRAMs.
The complexity of constructing HBM memory devices and stacks is also notably higher compared to traditional DDR ICs and modules. As memory makers allocate more production capacity to HBM, the availability of other memory types decreases, leading to an upward trend in DRAM prices.
Mozilla is giving Firefox’s Smart Window two new tricks. If you haven’t tried it yet, Smart Window is an optional AI mode in Firefox with a built-in chat that helps you get things done while you browse. With this update, it can fill out online forms using details from your tabs and keep an eye on websites for you.
Tired of typing the same details into every form?
The absolutely absurd idea of putting a touchscreen display on a mouse isn't exactly new. Turtle Beach already did it with its Command Series MC7, which features a 2.25-inch control screen. But apparently, even that wasn't ridiculous enough for Arctic Fox Technologies. Its new Super Mouse looks like someone took the chunky old Atari ST mouse, slapped a touchscreen and scroll wheel on it, and called it an upgrade.
The result is a rather unusual-looking mouse that is now on Kickstarter, starting at $199. And as ridiculous as it looks, some of its features are genuinely intriguing.
Apple is less than a day away from launching its highly anticipated OLED MacBook Pro with a touch-sensitive screen. But it appears that the upgrade is going to cost a pretty penny. According to a report by Bloomberg, Apple is reportedly eyeing a starting price of $2,899 for the 14-inch MacBook Pro, while the 16-inch version could start at $3,399 in the US.
"At $2,899, the 14-inch model would mark the highest starting price for a new MacBook Pro model, surpassing the $2,799 Apple charged for a 17-inch version introduced in 2006," says the report. The report claims that Apple is targeting a minimum price hike of $400 for its upcoming redesigned 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models.