The DRAM industry is experiencing an acute shortage of various classes of GDDR memory (graphics DDR), which could affect graphics card prices come Holiday. Supplier quotes for various graphics memory components have risen by as much as 30.8% in August, from an average of USD $6.50 in July, to $8.50. Top graphics memory suppliers Samsung and SK Hynix have committed a bulk of their inventories to manufacturers of servers and mobile handsets, which triggered the price rally. Samsung is the largest supplier of graphics memory, with a 55 percent market-share, followed by SK Hynix at 35 percent, and Micron Technology at 10 percent.

37 Comments on Graphics Memory Prices Surge 30% in August, Could Affect Graphics Card Prices

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#1 Dimi

Next up: Steam sold 5 million more games last Summer sale. Could affect graphics card prices!



I've had it with this BS. Posted on Aug 16th 2017, 12:01 Reply

#2 bonehead123

capitalism at it's finest :D Posted on Aug 16th 2017, 12:08 Reply

#3 Chaitanya

Lets all blame miners. Seems like price fixing in DRAM industry seems to be working fine for the manufacturers. Posted on Aug 16th 2017, 12:10 Reply

#4 TheLostSwede

Because graphics cards aren't expensive enough as it is...

Looks like next year's cards will be $100 more on principle... Posted on Aug 16th 2017, 12:20 Reply

#5 _JP_



Really, who enjoyed paying below 1000€ for a fully-capable rig, or some 1500€ for a beast?

This is just great news all around, with the advent of IoT and computing in general.

I think the IT market and prices/business models were fine in 1992. It's great to have it like that once again.



Spoiler >SARCASM< Yay, computers are ridiculously expensive again! :clap:Really, who enjoyed paying below 1000€ for a fully-capable rig, or some 1500€ for a beast?This is just great news all around, with the advent of IoT and computing in general.I think the IT market and prices/business models were fine in 1992. It's great to have it like that once again. Posted on Aug 16th 2017, 13:01 Reply

#6 RejZoR

There was a flood in Australia and this will affect potato prices in Norway. They just make shit up to jack the prices. Posted on Aug 16th 2017, 13:06 Reply

#7 Frick

Fishfaced Nincompoop _JP_ said: Yay, computers are ridiculously expensive again! :clap:

Really, who enjoyed paying below 1000€ for a fully-capable rig, or some 1500€ for a beast?

This is just great news all around, with the advent of IoT and computing in general.

I think the IT market and prices/business models were fine in 1992. It's great to have it like that once again.



Spoiler >SARCASM< Well, if this makes a good 1080p60FPs gaming system cost €650 instead of €600 that's not much of a loss. If you want 4K gaming you have to spend tons anyway. I assume you mean gaming capable, as this presumably won't affect CPU prices, and you get sooo much performance for momey now. If anything SSD prices is the thing most in need of shaking up.



EDIT: RejZoR said: There was a flood in Australia and this will affect potato prices in Norway. They just make shit up to jack the prices. To be fair the worlds economy is made up of an insane number of highly complicated trade deals, and everything is shipped worldwide, so ... yes, I can see that happen. Well, if this makes a good 1080p60FPs gaming system cost €650 instead of €600 that's not much of a loss. If you want 4K gaming you have to spend tons anyway. I assume you mean gaming capable, as this presumably won't affect CPU prices, and you get sooo much performance for momey now. If anything SSD prices is the thing most in need of shaking up.EDIT:To be fair the worlds economy is made up of an insane number of highly complicated trade deals, and everything is shipped worldwide, so ... yes, I can see that happen. Posted on Aug 16th 2017, 13:20 Reply

#8 XiGMAKiD

Increased CPU memory price, check.

Increased GPU memory price, check.



Now I'm waiting for NAND price increase Posted on Aug 16th 2017, 13:24 Reply

#9 Frick

Fishfaced Nincompoop XiGMAKiD said:



Now I'm waiting for NAND price increase Now I'm sad I sold my tubes of 74-logic years ago. :( Now I'm sad I sold my tubes of 74-logic years ago. :( Posted on Aug 16th 2017, 13:27 Reply

#10 Liviu Cojocaru

same BS as with the DDR4 prices and SSD prices ... just another way to rip people off Posted on Aug 16th 2017, 13:29 Reply

#11 XiGMAKiD

Frick said: Now I'm sad I sold my tubes of 74-logic years ago. :( I misread that as "Now I'm sad I sold my tubes 74 years ago" lol I misread that as "Now I'm sad I sold my tubes 74 years ago" lol Posted on Aug 16th 2017, 13:35 Reply

#12 Eric3988

In other news, water is wet and roses are red. Seriously, if consumers are just going to get gouged regardless at least have the integrity to give it to us straight. Posted on Aug 16th 2017, 14:06 Reply

#13 Prince Valiant

I guess the DRAM companies figured it was about time they try their price fixing shenanigans again. Posted on Aug 16th 2017, 14:19 Reply

#14 Hood

I have been doing my part by not buying any PC components for the last 2 years - if the rest of you would just stop buying these overpriced parts for a year or two, prices would have to come down. I also don't own a "smartphone" - ya'll stop buying those too, and strike a blow against corporate greed! Posted on Aug 16th 2017, 14:50 Reply

#15 PowerPC

Hood said: I have been doing my part by not buying any PC components for the last 2 years - if the rest of you would just stop buying these overpriced parts for a year or two, prices would have to come down. I also don't own a "smartphone" - ya'll stop buying those too, and strike a blow against corporate greed! I haven't bought a new system for much longer than that. What am I supposed to do, never upgrade? I haven't bought a new system for much longer than that. What am I supposed to do, never upgrade? Posted on Aug 16th 2017, 15:02 Reply

#16 erocker

* So... Why the shortage? Posted on Aug 16th 2017, 15:48 Reply

#17 Prince Valiant

erocker said: So... Why the shortage? Supposedly because they've allocated resources to servers and mobile stuff by cutting into VGA according to the article source.



The exact wording:

"Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix have allocated part of their VGA RAM production capacities to producing memories for servers and handsets, fueling the price rally." Supposedly because they've allocated resources to servers and mobile stuff by cutting into VGA according to the article source.The exact wording:"Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix have allocated part of their VGA RAM production capacities to producing memories for servers and handsets, fueling the price rally." Posted on Aug 16th 2017, 17:59 Reply

#18 erocker

* What can I say, I don't really believe them. Posted on Aug 16th 2017, 18:36 Reply

#19 Aquinus

Resident Wat-man Chaitanya said: Seems like price fixing in DRAM industry seems to be working fine for the manufacturers. This seems more than likely, at least in my opinion.

erocker said: What can I say, I don't really believe them. Neither do I. It's one thing if prices were raised slightly by one organization in order to offset some cost but, the leaders of a market don't just start charging significantly more in tandem out of nowhere. This seems more than likely, at least in my opinion.Neither do I. It's one thing if prices were raised slightly by one organization in order to offset some cost but, the leaders of a market don't just start charging significantly more in tandem out of nowhere. Posted on Aug 16th 2017, 19:22 Reply

#20 xorbe

Oil up 25% on the news of dram shortages! "We won't be able to accurately calculate future profits without more ram, so we have to preemptively adjust pricing temporarily." Posted on Aug 16th 2017, 20:56 Reply

#21 Prima.Vera

Well, is not the first time this happens, and definitely not the last time. But like always, the market and in the end, the...enduser, are the ones that going to dictate the prices. If a product is expensive enough, it will not be bought. Simple. Then they will have plenty amount in stock, so the only way to get rid off, is to lower the prices. By a lot. IT industry is not like the Food industry, so they can play with the prices as they see fit. IT industry is in a constant move and change, with new products and technologies launched monthly; so you cannot keep the same price for a product that is going to be old and deprecated in less than a year.... Posted on Aug 16th 2017, 20:58 Reply

#22 Captain_Tom

Frick said: Well, if this makes a good 1080p60FPs gaming system cost €650 instead of €600 that's not much of a loss. If you want 4K gaming you have to spend tons anyway. I assume you mean gaming capable, as this presumably won't affect CPU prices, and you get sooo much performance for momey now. If anything SSD prices is the thing most in need of shaking up.



EDIT:



To be fair the worlds economy is made up of an insane number of highly complicated trade deals, and everything is shipped worldwide, so ... yes, I can see that happen. 100% agreed.



SSD prices are (for me) the most egregious right now. Yeah DDR4/3 is expensive again, but at least it is generally faster and of higher capacity than before.



SSD's are just double the price (or more ) than they used to be. 100% agreed.SSD prices are (for me) the most egregious right now. Yeah DDR4/3 is expensive again, but at least it is generally faster and of higher capacity than before.SSD's are just double the price (or more ) than they used to be. Posted on Aug 16th 2017, 21:11 Reply

#23 Liviu Cojocaru

Prima.Vera said: Well, is not the first time this happens, and definitely not the last time. But like always, the market and in the end, the...enduser, are the ones that going to dictate the prices. If a product is expensive enough, it will not be bought. Simple. Then they will have plenty amount in stock, so the only way to get rid off, is to lower the prices. By a lot. IT industry is not like the Food industry, so they can play with the prices as they see fit. IT industry is in a constant move and change, with new products and technologies launched monthly; so you cannot keep the same price for a product that is going to be old and deprecated in less than a year.... I beg to differ, if the demand is high enough this will go through...look at the DDR4 situation, the prices are way higher than it used to be but people are still buying because they need it I beg to differ, if the demand is high enough this will go through...look at the DDR4 situation, the prices are way higher than it used to be but people are still buying because they need it Posted on Aug 17th 2017, 3:49 Reply

#24 bonehead123

Word: supply

Word: demand



Both of these factors are at play here, similar to other commodities.



The worlds energy sector has been (successfully) playing this same exact game for decades now...get used to it...



As I said earlier.....textbook Capitalism, at its finest Posted on Aug 17th 2017, 7:33 Reply

#25 R0H1T

erocker said: What can I say, I don't really believe them. It's not as unbelievable as you think. When we have phones with

The server & especially phone memory gives them better margins, at least for Samsung & they can sell their overpriced phones with even higher margins. It's not as unbelievable as you think. When we have phones with 8GB RAM , as opposed to 2GB tops a couple of years back then yes it's totally plausible, also server with 2TB memory anyone?The server & especially phone memory gives them better margins, at least for Samsung & they can sell their overpriced phones with even higher margins. Posted on Aug 17th 2017, 7:40 Reply