Price Check Q3 2016: DRAM Prices Down Over 20% Since Early 2016

DDR3 Modules Are Getting Cheaper Too

While the transition to DDR4 is proceeding as planned, there are a number of competitive Haswell and Skylake processors that support DDR3 and DDR3L memory. Therefore it makes sense to examine retail prices of previous-generation modules in retail too. While most users building new high end systems will be leaning on DDR4, we recognise that mid-range and low cost buyers may still be buying older platforms as new. As a result, we will analyze several mainstream speed bins for DDR3.

Kingston’s HyperX Fury Low Voltage DDR3L-1866/CL11 16 GB (2×8 GB) kit (HX318LC11FBK2/16).

Intel’s newest processor line, the Skylake CPUs, officially supports DDR3L as well as DDR4 memory, if you find the appropriate motherboard. Note that it is DDR3L and not DDR3, due to the memory controller implementation. As a result, we start with Kingston’s HyperX Fury Low Voltage DDR3L-1866/CL11 16 GB (2×8 GB) kit (HX318LC11FBK2/16). Very early this year the set retailed for $90, but its price fell to $83 in February. By now, the price of this dual-channel DDR3L-1866/CL11 kit dropped to $73 at Amazon and $73 at Newegg, which is somewhat higher than the price of mainstream dual-channel DDR4-2133/CL15 or even DDR4-2400/CL16 kits, which retail for less than $65. The gap between DDR4-2133 and DDR3L-1866 got a little smaller than it was earlier this year, but being less widespread in general, the DDR3L is a bit more expensive.

Kingston’s HyperX Fury Black DDR3-1866/CL10 (2×8 GB) kit (HX318C10FBK2/16)

If you need to upgrade a previous-generation platform, you can opt for Kingston’s HyperX Fury Black DDR3-1866/CL10 16 GB (2×8 GB) kit (HX318C10FBK2/16), which retails for $69.99 (in line with prices of mainstream DDR4 modules). This kit used to cost around $80 early this year, so, it has got over 13% cheaper in the recent months. The dual-channel set of DDR3 memory modules briefly retailed for $53 in early June, so, it is possible that in the coming weeks its price will hit that spot again.

Kingston’s HyperX Savage DDR3-2133/CL11 2×8 GB kit (HX321C11SRK2/16)

If you need fast DDR3 modules, then Kingston (as well as other makers) offer DDR3-2133 DRAM sticks.

For example, Kingston’s HyperX Savage DDR3-2133/CL11 16 GB (2×8 GB) kit (HX321C11SRK2/16) costs $99.99 at Amazon, up from $90 earlier this year (but down from over $100 last year). For this amount of money, it is possible to get 16 GBs of DDR4-3200/CL17 memory.

Kingston’s HyperX Savage DDR3-2400/CL11 (2×8 GB) kit (HX324C11SRK2/16)

If you plan to push your DDR3 memory sub-system even further, you may want to consider Kingston’s HyperX Savage DDR3-2400/CL11 16 GB (2×8 GB) kit (HX324C11SRK2/16), which costs $100 at Amazon (so, the same amount of money as the DDR3-2133 kit). Earlier this year this dual-channel set of DRAM modules cost over $100 and its current price is around the same.