Russian Enthusiasts Planning DIY DDR5 Memory Amidst Worldwide Shortage (tomshardware.com)
- Reference: 0180482267
- News link: https://hardware.slashdot.org/story/25/12/29/2336254/russian-enthusiasts-planning-diy-ddr5-memory-amidst-worldwide-shortage
- Source link: https://www.tomshardware.com/pc-components/ddr5/russian-enthusiasts-are-building-their-own-ddr5-ram-amidst-the-worldwide-shortage-as-easy-as-sourcing-your-own-memory-modules-and-soldering-them-on-empty-pcbs
> The idea comes from [2]Russian YouTuber PRO Hi-Tech's Telegram channel , where a local enthusiast known as "Vik-on" already performs VRAM upgrades for GPUs, so this is a relatively safe operation for him. According to Vik-on, empty RAM PCBs can be sourced from China for as little as $6.40 per DIMM. The memory chips themselves, though, that's a different challenge.
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> The so-called spot market for memory doesn't really exist at the moment, since no manufacturer has the production capacity to make more RAM, and even if they did, they'd sell to better-paying AI clients instead. Still, you can find SK Hynix and Samsung chips across Chinese marketplaces if you search for the correct part number, as shown in the attached screenshots.
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> Moreover, the Telegram thread says it would cost roughly 12,000 Russian Rubles ($152) to build a 16 GB stick with "average" specs, which is about [3]the same as a retail 16 GB kit . There's also a ZenTimings snapshot showing CL28 timings, claiming that even relatively high-end DDR5 RAM can be built using this method, but it won't be cost-effective. Therefore, it doesn't make too much sense just yet to get the BGA rework station out and assemble your own DDR5. Things are expected to get worse, though, so maybe these Russians are on to something.
[1] https://www.tomshardware.com/pc-components/ddr5/russian-enthusiasts-are-building-their-own-ddr5-ram-amidst-the-worldwide-shortage-as-easy-as-sourcing-your-own-memory-modules-and-soldering-them-on-empty-pcbs
[2] https://t.me/prohitec/10862
[3] https://www.newegg.com/team-group-t-force-vulcan-16gb-ddr5-5200-cas-latency-cl40-desktop-memory-black/p/N82E16820331865?Item=N82E16820331865&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_campaign=afc-ran-com-_-Future+Publishing+Ltd&utm_source=afc-Future+Publishing+Ltd&AFFID=2294204&AFFNAME=Future+Publishing+Ltd&ACRID=1&ASUBID=tomshardware-us-4505622275544933756&ASID=&ranMID=44583&ranEAID=2294204&ranSiteID=kXQk6.ivFEQ-I0w58hRxwYo5ImVMM3RH9w
there's not a ton of loose dram around either (Score:2)
the problem isn't that people aren't assembling ddr5 -- the problem is the dram isn't available.
Should work, briefly. (Score:2)
This seems like one of those strategies with a very, very, short shelf life. Presumably there's a nonzero sized supply of tiny or irregular supplies of DRAM chips that haven't had their prices corrected or are too dodgy for standard memory manufacturers to go to the trouble of sourcing and validating; but it's not like it's the BGA soldering that has gotten expensive all of a sudden and the whole point of the memory market going crazy is that demand for the very parts you are using to 'DIY' is currently pre
dupe? (Score:2)
Pretty sure I've seen this story already. Someone commented about alternate memory packaging designs completely missing it is the actual chips that are in short supply.
Issue is chip shortage (Score:2)
Building your own module still requires chips! This is just stupid, adding unneeded complexity of building your own when it doesn't solve the initial issue.
Re: (Score:2)
This came out of The Socials. It's just for clicks.
It's worth it to him to assemble a module at the same cost as retail, because the YouTube Partner program pays him to take a video of it.
Re: (Score:2)
Yeah, this doesn't really help unless a bunch of DDR5 DRAM chips fall off of the truck somewhere. Probably one headed to an OpenAI data center being built somewhere that doesn't have power yet.
Re: (Score:2)
> Building your own module still requires chips! This is just stupid, adding unneeded complexity of building your own when it doesn't solve the initial issue.
This is Russia we're talking about. A slightly bigger problem in obtaining the modules thanks to their invasion causing sanctions.
The cost "savings" aren't there either - the actual cost of the DIY modules rivals that of actual DDR5 RAM kits.
Seems like one of those things greed can fix (Score:1)
Pay enough and someone somewhere will make the dram chips for the right price.
This has to be a joke (Score:2)
The reason memory is expensive is because there's only a certain amount of manufacturing capacity for the chips , not the fucking circuit boards. If it were the circuit boards, we could spin up factories in days to make new DIMMs.
Come on editors, do better. This article is either by a troll or by complete morons. Either way it doesn't deserve a place here.
Re: (Score:2)
Yes, my first thought exactly. This "story" is without any insight whatsoever.
What is this stupid "story"? (Score:2)
The price-hike is NOT for the PCBs. It is for the memory chips. What they are doing makes absolutely no sense except very temporarily. It is in no way a solution for the problem.
I'd be impressed ... (Score:2)
... if the Russians were weaving their own magnetic core memory.
Actually, no. I wouldn't.
You can't by RAM anymore (Score:2)
We've buried all the silicon in the tulip fields.
Re: (Score:2)
Because it's news for Nerds and I don't know what's more nerd than "fuck it, sure I can buy it but I'll solder it together myself."
Re: (Score:2)
Purchase is still cheaper, yes.
Lets wait 3 months more and see if that statement still holds true. Business analysts expect RAM prices to increase throughout 2026, stabilize at 2026 price level throughout 2027 and increase in price yet again in 2028.
"You will own nothing and be happy about it", that is future planned for you and the rest of us slobs in the trenches.
Seriously, where is a good Robespierre's when society needs one...
Re: Soooo...... (Score:2)
The crazy thing is that the price increases have already made Appleâ(TM)s infamously ludicrous upgrade pricing seem reasonable. Apple want £400 for 32GB. A couple of months ago, that was 4 times over the going rate. Now itâ(TM)s pretty much normal. The cheepest DDR5 6000 on newegg is £330, and higher bandwidth stuff costs of the order of £5-600. (And thatâ(TM)s ignoring that Appleâ(TM)s on chip RAM is anywhere between 50% faster and 300% faster th
Re: Soooo...... (Score:2)
Because youâ(TM)re a nerd probably. That said, the article seems to motivate things rather poorly.
I donâ(TM)t get how anyone would ever expect this to be cheep though. The reason RAM is expensive is because the production capacity for chips is being used to produce GPU RAM for AI data centres, not because thereâ(TM)s some disconnect between chip prices and DIMM prices. Buying the chips is going to be just as expensive, because the chips, and production capacity are needed elsewhere. What