July 2004 DDR2 Pricing Update

By jw

Introduction:

Now that DDR2 are arriving on the market how are prices looking for DDR2?

For the first time since DDR2 modules starting hitting the market in Q1 2004 we have begun to see the prices of the existing lines steady out, while at the same time we have the introduction of new models for a little extra money. These new models of DDR2 memory that have hit the market prove to be the first DDR2 modules that are able to perform on par with their DDR1 equalivant thanks to lower DDR2 timings. The first company to introduce a "true" enthusiast line of memory was Crucial who on July 14th brought out their Ballistix memory line. The Ballistix line of both DDR1 and DDR2 memory features tight timings for superior performance for power users. The Crucial Ballistix DDR2 memory line was the also the first line of DDR2 memory that was released with memory timings below that of what the JEDEC standard has been set to. Crucials Ballistix PC-4300 came out with 3-3-3-10 timings when the JEDEC standard is 4-4-4-12. If you are curious what going from CL4 to CL3 in DDR2 memory please look at our article: Is DDR1 Ready To Replace DDR2.

Below we show you July’s price & indicate the changes since June.

DDR2 PC2-4300 (533MHz) Pricing:

Kingston Technology Value Series:

Kingston Monthly Change DealTime
Price From:
(Direct)
–
–
256mb
125.00
0
512mb
$185.00
0
1Gb Kit
$370.00
0

Kingston Technologies still have just their ValueRAM line of memory on the market. These modules use Elpida IC’s and come rated with memory timings of 4-4-4-12, which just happens to be the JEDEC standard for DDR2-533 memory. You can expect Kingston HyperX DDR2 modules coming up in the next couple months for those of you waiting on a performance line of DDR2 memory from Kingston.

Crucial Technology Value Series:

Crucial Monthly Change DealTime
Price From:
(Direct)
–
–
256mb
$84.99
0
512mb
$196.99
+$4
1Gb module
$363.99
0

Crucial has one of the largest DDR2 selections available and uses their own Micron IC’s. These modules also come with memory timings of 4-4-4-12 and are the ones that we have been using here with great success. We took a pair of our 512mb modules up to DDR2 733 with timings of 5-5-5-15 (yes, That would be 733MHz) with ease. For more information on our Crucial Overclocking take a look at this forum thread highlighting our adventure.

Corsair Memory XMS Performance Series:

Corsair Monthly Change DealTime
Price From:
(Retailer)
–
–
256mb
$103.00
-$3
512mb
$202.00
-$15
1Gb Kit
$392.00
-$17

Corsair Memory launched their XMS2 line before their Value Series and were the first to the retail market with DDR2. All the current Corsair XMS2 modules use Micron IC’s and come rated with memory timings of 4-4-4-12 (the JEDEC standard for DDR2-533 memory). The Corsair XMS2 and Crucial Ballistix modules are the only DDR2 modules on the market for sale today that come with heat spreaders on the modules.

Crucial Technology Performance Series:

Crucial Monthly Change DealTime
Price From:
(Direct)
–
–
256mb
$118.99
NEW
512mb
$228.99
NEW

Crucial Technology has blasted into the enthusiast memory market with their new Ballistix memory series! These DDR2 533 modules boast timings of 3-3-3-10, which happen to be the tightest on the market right now for DDR2 533 memory modules. When comparing Crucial’s Ballistix PC2-4200 and Corsair’s XMS2 PC2-4200 memory lines there is no contest! Crucial is set at 3-3-3-10 while Corsair is set at 4-4-4-12! Lower is better and Crucial by far wins round one of this battle! Granted they cost a little bit more, but you get what you pay for. Crucial’s Ballistix memory series is more than a pair of their value memory with heat spreaders on them as we found that they are built on a different PCB with select IC’s!

Let’s now look to see what PC2-5300 or DDR667 has to offer!

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