Seven years after the introduction of its successor, DDR3 RAM is still very much alive and kicking as a cheap memory solution in servers, but it might not stay that way for much longer with price hikes potentially on the horizon.
With core manufacturers, such as Samsung and SK Hynix, gradually phasing DDR3 out of their production lines and the component following the recent trend of demand outstripping current supplies, DigiTimes (via Tom’s Hardware) expects price rises in the range of 40-50% throughout 2021. This will apparently begin with a 20% jump in the first quarter, doubling that as we reach the halfway point.
PC gamers don’t have much to worry about here, as consumer hardware made the move to DDR4 years ago and it’s unlikely many of you will opt for DDR3 to power even the best cheap gaming PC at this point. If you’re using legacy hardware, though, or you have an old system lying around, you might want to think about stripping the DDR3 sticks in your system and selling them for profit should this come to pass. After all, it could fund your next upgrade.
Thinking about upgrades might seem daunting right now, with processors and graphics cards suffering ongoing stock issues or artificial inflation seeing their prices skyrocket, but there’s no harm in getting ready for when the dust settles. After all, consumer DDR5 memory is coming in 2021 with the potential to see a 68% transfer speed increase, if Adata has anything to say about it.