The two 128Mb memory modules from the test machine. Current Australian price, a jaw-dropping $AU900 each. Perhaps some dealer's got pricing that's closer to the current $US250 or so for PC800 128Mb modules - with the P4 launch, I'm sure someone down under's going to start shifting RIMMs in a bit more bulk - but as I write this, Aussie RDRAM prices are still preposterous.
You can spend a lot more than $AU900 for 128Mb of PC800, if it's ECC memory (of which more later) with a fancy brand name on it. Even if you opt for basic PC600 modules, you're still talking $AU650 for 128Mb.
The abovementioned $US250, by the way, is just the low price I found on Pricewatch.com, after discarding the first few really dodgy options. Big-name US dealers, as opposed to deep-discounters with unknown morals, are selling PC800 128Mb modules for more than $US300.
So even if you buy from the States, I really can't see you getting modules to match these two for any less than $AU1200.
$AU1200 will buy you six decent PC133 128Mb SDRAM DIMMs, as used by most top of the line P-IIIs, at the moment. Or two DIMMs, an 800MHz Pentium III, and a good motherboard to put it on. With change.
What's so great about Rambus memory to justify the big prices?
Well, it's got a ton of bandwidth compared with ordinary SDRAM. But that's not as big a deal as you might think, and to understand why, you'll need a quick primer on the technology involved. I know I did.
So that you can share my pain, here's Rambus Memory 101. Pay attention, people.
Biggs! I hope you brought enough of those for everyone!
You can spend a lot more than $AU900 for 128Mb of PC800, if it's ECC memory (of which more later) with a fancy brand name on it. Even if you opt for basic PC600 modules, you're still talking $AU650 for 128Mb.
The abovementioned $US250, by the way, is just the low price I found on Pricewatch.com, after discarding the first few really dodgy options. Big-name US dealers, as opposed to deep-discounters with unknown morals, are selling PC800 128Mb modules for more than $US300.
So even if you buy from the States, I really can't see you getting modules to match these two for any less than $AU1200.
$AU1200 will buy you six decent PC133 128Mb SDRAM DIMMs, as used by most top of the line P-IIIs, at the moment. Or two DIMMs, an 800MHz Pentium III, and a good motherboard to put it on. With change.
What's so great about Rambus memory to justify the big prices?
Well, it's got a ton of bandwidth compared with ordinary SDRAM. But that's not as big a deal as you might think, and to understand why, you'll need a quick primer on the technology involved. I know I did.
So that you can share my pain, here's Rambus Memory 101. Pay attention, people.
Biggs! I hope you brought enough of those for everyone!
0 comments:
Post a Comment