Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Framework Raises DDR5 Memory Prices by 50% for DIY Laptops

phoronix.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

131–140 of 228 posts

Re: Framework Raises DDR5 Memory Prices by 50% for DIY Laptops

#131

Post by gpm »

SchwKatze wrote: post #81

My question is, will the ram price go down at some point or is it a point of no return?

Yes, we're just hitting the limits of current manufacturing not some fundamental limit like the availability of raw materials. Either demand will wane and the prices will go down, or manufacturing will scale up and prices will go down, eventually. That "eventually" does some work, but it's not remotely a case of "a point of no return".

In fact long term this might well make RAM cheaper than it otherwise would be, because we'll make more of it and get better at producing it than we would have without the demand spike. I.e. Wright's Law in action - which is usually pretty good at producing the long term direction of prices of products like this: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Experience_curve_effect

Re: Framework Raises DDR5 Memory Prices by 50% for DIY Laptops

#132

Post by gpm »

kjkjadksj wrote: post #72
echelon wrote: post #37

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They are not becoming Apple. They are updating the prices of their components to the underlying market costs. Framework lets you replace the memory modules. Apple is a fashionable brand that commands a price premium. They can charge much higher prices and will charge the amount that will maximize their profits. BMW charges to enable heated seats. They know their customers have money and will pay. Apple is the same. F…

Have you seen laptop prices these days? Macbooks aren’t even sold at a premium anymore.

And on the flip side Framework laptops have generally been sold at a premium.

Re: Framework Raises DDR5 Memory Prices by 50% for DIY Laptops

#133

Post by SlightlyLeftPad »

seg_lol wrote: post #83
hshdhdhj4444 wrote: post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes. AI companies will continue to buy up all the RAM so you and I have to pay the cost for it. They will also eat up all the energy so you and I have to pay more for energy. They will also then try and put you and I out of a job. And if they fail to do so, they will then get your and my tax dollars to bail them out. There should be real AI research and technology development, but the way it’s being done right now is…

We need to figure out how AI can use housing and food to complete resource exhaustion. You forgot to include AI water consumption.

It’s all very Orwellian. Consolidation of resources and the eventual result of total control over those.

Re: Framework Raises DDR5 Memory Prices by 50% for DIY Laptops

#134

Post by WorkerBee28474 »

sh34r wrote: post #128
hyperpape wrote: post #89

Earlier quoted context omitted.

[flagged]

You should look up the monopsony provisions of the Sherman Antitrust Act of 1890, as well as the Robinson-Patman Act of 1936 which prohibits predatory price discrimination schemes. Scam Alt-Man should be paying the same price for RAM as us plebes, if the DOJ wasn’t derelict in its duty to enforce antitrust law. It’s wild how Bork’s fraudulent legal theories have been converted to into dogma within a generation.

mo·nop·so·ny /məˈnäpsənē/ a market situation in which there is only one buyer.

It seems like the issue we're having is that we are buyers who are competing against OpenAI, who is another buyer. There isn't only 1 buyer or 1 seller of RAM.

Re: Framework Raises DDR5 Memory Prices by 50% for DIY Laptops

#135

Post by ikeashark »

stackskipton wrote: post #73
derektank wrote: post #70

Earlier quoted context omitted.

We’re contemplating jailing people for buying manufactured goods at the market price now?

Yes? Reports are that OpenAI is buying unfinished memory kits which they have no capacity to complete. It appears that OpenAI is just buying them to remove them from the market and damage their competitors. In United States, that used to be considered against the law if we were actually enforcing such things.

I doubt this is to create artificial scarcity. Especially when OpenAI is the biggest player thought to be able to build AGI first and that it is now backed by the US & the Saudis.

Re: Framework Raises DDR5 Memory Prices by 50% for DIY Laptops

#136

Post by ceejayoz »

ikeashark wrote: post #135
stackskipton wrote: post #73

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes? Reports are that OpenAI is buying unfinished memory kits which they have no capacity to complete. It appears that OpenAI is just buying them to remove them from the market and damage their competitors. In United States, that used to be considered against the law if we were actually enforcing such things.

I doubt this is to create artificial scarcity. Especially when OpenAI is the biggest player thought to be able to build AGI first and that it is now backed by the US & the Saudis.

> thought to be able to build AGI first

Who still thinks this?

Re: Framework Raises DDR5 Memory Prices by 50% for DIY Laptops

#137

Post by ikeashark »

hodgehog11 wrote: post #114
derektank wrote: post #70

Earlier quoted context omitted.

We’re contemplating jailing people for buying manufactured goods at the market price now?

As always, it's the intent that matters. For the sake of argument, what if Amazon decided tomorrow that they would secure exclusive contracts with all food suppliers and then hoard all the food to starve out the people they don't want to have it? Or at least, drive up the price of food so it becomes completely unaffordable? I know people can simply grow their own food so it's a bit different, but hopefully it gets th…

But OpenAI legitimately needs HBM. Amazon in this instance doesn't need food and is doing purely to create artificial scarcity. If OpenAI were to actually not use the HBM then it could mean something.

Re: Framework Raises DDR5 Memory Prices by 50% for DIY Laptops

#138

Post by sh34r »

WorkerBee28474 wrote: post #134
sh34r wrote: post #128

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You should look up the monopsony provisions of the Sherman Antitrust Act of 1890, as well as the Robinson-Patman Act of 1936 which prohibits predatory price discrimination schemes. Scam Alt-Man should be paying the same price for RAM as us plebes, if the DOJ wasn’t derelict in its duty to enforce antitrust law. It’s wild how Bork’s fraudulent legal theories have been converted to into dogma within a generation.

mo·nop·so·ny /məˈnäpsənē/ a market situation in which there is only one buyer. It seems like the issue we're having is that we are buyers who are competing against OpenAI, who is another buyer. There isn't only 1 buyer or 1 seller of RAM.

Like monopolies, monopsony power exists on a spectrum. For example, Walmart exercises extreme monopsony power over suppliers, despite not being the only retailer in town.

Re: Framework Raises DDR5 Memory Prices by 50% for DIY Laptops

#139

Post by glaslong »

SchwKatze wrote: post #81

My question is, will the ram price go down at some point or is it a point of no return?

They'll come down some day, but between the massive ai co purchases, and how long Micron says it will take to bring up new production capacity... most estimates I've seen are that it stays high (or grows higher still) until at least 2028.

https://www.tomsguide.com/computing/ram-prices-are-exploding...

Re: Framework Raises DDR5 Memory Prices by 50% for DIY Laptops

#140

Post by Computer0 »

zrm wrote: post #98
wmf wrote: post #88

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Retail DIMMs are more expensive than soldered RAM so that just makes things worse.

The price difference in terms of manufacturing cost is immaterial. But if people can't afford a machine with 32GB anymore then they're going to suffer one with 8GB knowing from the outset that it's not enough and then have a strong preference for the ability to upgrade it later when prices come back down or they get more money.

Do most people know what the bottlenecks of their computing experience are?
Post reply on HN