What's wrong with the industry? CPU & memory prices...

[Skoorb]

9 months ago I bought a 512 of 3500 memory for $77, IIRC. It's now $85 for the same stick. My Barton 2500+ I bought for about $80 and it's now at least that price. What the heck is going on? I've seen price fluctuations, but never this bad. In recent memory I've never seen something cost more 9 months later. Hard drives and video card prices seem normal, following the expected progression of cheaper, or you get more for the same price.

[yoda313]

Hello,

Shortage maybe????

Kevin

[Skoorb]

Yes, but after 9 months still a shortage? This is a pretty darn significant shortage!

[tekkieman]

Hello,

Shortage maybe????

Kevin

...or self-induced shortage to drive up prices.

[bazooka]

Hello,

Shortage maybe????

Kevin

...or self-induced shortage to drive up prices.

Tekkie has hit the nail.

[tekkieman]

Hello,

Shortage maybe????

Kevin

...or self-induced shortage to drive up prices.

Tekkie has hit the nail.

...with a sledgehammer? :P

[rallynavvie]

Yeah there was that big price hike in April or something. I paid $400-some for the 2GB of BH-6 memory before that and afterwards it was well over $600 for the same set. There was an accident at a chip plant that cost a lot of memory wafers. Estimates were placing memory prices to be back on track by the end of Q3 though. Prices have tapered down but I think they're still milking that shortage.

Dunno why processor prices are staying the same for last-generation tech.

[bazooka]

Hello,

Shortage maybe????

Kevin

...or self-induced shortage to drive up prices.

Tekkie has hit the nail.

...with a sledgehammer? :P

There is nothing left of the nail.

[Roundabout]

Dunno why processor prices are staying the same for last-generation tech.

That's what I'd like to know too! After the new LGA775 chips are out, the older socket 478 chips are higher now than they were before. WTF? I had my eye on the Northwood 3GHz 478, as you know. It went down a little, to about $189 for a short time. I waited, thinking it should drop a little more. Instead, it went up, and now it's $209, a 10% price increase!

Maybe there's still a lot of people like me, that are buying the older socket 478 Mobo's, that need the older P4's? I can't think of any other explanation. Murphy's law being what it is, as soon as I finally break down and buy one, the price will drop 25%

[tekkieman]

I saw a 3.2 on newegg for that price, but I think the 3.0 was closer to $178.

[glockjs]

I saw a 3.2 on newegg for that price, but I think the 3.0 was closer to $178.

yeah but what was the core?

[rallynavvie]

Well I know why the Northwoods are doing so well, people are making an informed decision to buy them. Only OEMs are putting Prescotts in really. So since Intel isn't really making Northwoods anymore and folks are still buying them the price is up to meet the demand for the limited supply of them. My job here is done

[ViRaL1]

There could be a number of reasons why things are higher. One is the fact that the holidays are computer buying season. They know people will pay a premium vs waiting til after the new year. A reason for memory being higher is partially that we're helping memory MFRs finance the cost of supporting DDR2. I'm not sure how different the processes are for DDR and DDR2, but if a plant is putting 20% of it's labor toward a new technology I'd bet they're still planning on covering the same amount of revenue on the DDR1 side of things, which would have to include a price increase. Not to mention R&D.

Processors don't drop quite as rapidly once the next generation has started to get its footing. Especially for chips like the 3.06 Northwood because for people like me with a 533FSB mobo, it's the end of the line. If I don't want to buy a whole new board and chip, that's the best I'm going to get; it's also my only option for HT. Something else to take into account is that resellers are paying more for older chips because they're not buying in nearly the same volume they were when those same processors were mainstream and in-demand.
Intel isn't making Northwoods anymore? Wasn't there a post recently about how Intel is FINALLY stopping production of certain PII models?

[budz]

newegg only has OEM of the Northwood 3.0C chip for sale now. i tried waiting for the price to drop too but ended up purchasing it a few months ago because i couldn't wait any longer and low and behold the price dropped a few bucks the day after i ordered it. too bad intel isn't making anymore Northwood chips.

[rallynavvie]

They may still be manufacturing them, but not on a scale anywhere near what it was a year or two ago. They're probably coasting on the stock they have of them currently. A lot of their effort right now is going into making a 64-bit processor.

[zzyzzx]

I think it's a combination of reduced production, expected holiday demand, and drop in value of US$. I'm currently building a new computer and I've definately noticed the pricing on AMD Athalon XP, Bartons, and Semprons, etc isn't dropping.

[Roundabout]

I think you're all correct. I'm probably just gonna have to break down and get it for whatever I can get it for. There's lotsa Presshot P4's at good prices, but I really wanted a Northwood 3.0c.

The lowest price I see for the OEM Northwood 3.0c is $170, from a couple of places on pricewatch. But, for the retail box CPU, the price is much higher. I'd rather have the retail box, only because of the warranty, not so much for the HSF.

Or, I may just give up and buy the Northwood 2.4c, and OC it to give me something close to 3GHz. The price is much lower on the 2.4, and everyone raves about it. I've already waited longer than I should have to finish my PC, it's already out of date and it's never been used!

[ViRaL1]

I think you're all correct. I'm probably just gonna have to break down and get it for whatever I can get it for. There's lotsa Presshot P4's at good prices, but I really wanted a Northwood 3.0c.

The lowest price I see for the OEM Northwood 3.0c is $170, from a couple of places on pricewatch. But, for the retail box CPU, the price is much higher. I'd rather have the retail box, only because of the warranty, not so much for the HSF.

Or, I may just give up and buy the Northwood 2.4c, and OC it to give me something close to 3GHz. The price is much lower on the 2.4, and everyone raves about it. I've already waited longer than I should have to finish my PC, it's already out of date and it's never been used!

Be glad you're buying the processor last, they usually drop faster than anything else when they're not brand spankin new. :P

[Roundabout]

Be glad you're buying the processor last, they usually drop faster than anything else when they're not brand spankin new. :P

Yeah, except this time, of course. Prices keep going up instead

Yet, you can buy the LGA775 P4 3.0 for only $177.00, and it's newer than the skt-478 chip. I think it's unusual for prices to go up on older chips, but that's what's happening right now. Guess they're more in demand than anyone expected. Maybe I should just put a 2.4C in there and be done with it, good for a year or two until I can afford to upgrade again.

[rallynavvie]

Which board is it going in?

[ViRaL1]

Raising prices on older processors is Intel's way of pushing newer technology.

[Roundabout]

Which board is it going in?

It's a Foxconn 865M01-G-6ELS (S478 - 800fsb) Mobo. Please, don't tell me the 2.4c won't work in this board

I've had the PC entirely built for a couple of months now, while I waited for the CPU prices to come down - to no avail. So now I have to make a choice. Either I pony up the $200+ for the 3.0c, or just go cheap and get the 2.4c and live with it for now. I think I can OC it to some extent, although this mobo is limited for OC'ing to some extent. Supposedly, Foxconn was going to have a BIOS update to allow more, but I haven't checked to see if they've actually updated it yet. Since I don't have a CPU, the point is moot for now...

[rallynavvie]

A socket 478 board should work with all 478 processors.

It's such a tough decision for the processor though. Best performance for the money is the 3.2 Northwood at $200, but that's OEM. Overclocking is tough on components, and I haven't heard much about how well Foxconns handle it. If you are planning on overclocking make sure to get better cooling for your processor and northbridge as well as have a solid power supply. If you don't already have that then you're getting up to the point where it cost as much as getting a faster processor.

[Roundabout]

Well, probably what you mentioned would make more sense that trying to OC the 2.4 CPU. The case and PSU I have aren't the greatest, just a semi-cheapo from PC Club (something like $35). I think it had a 350w PSU, nothing special.

I take it you think I'd be better off buying the 3.2 Northwood OEM over the 3.0 Retail? The only thing that concerns me is the warranty, the HSF isn't a big deal. But if the CPU goes south, that's $200 down the drain - if it dies after 90 days, the standard OEM warranty period.

Of course, they are reliable, so maybe I'm just worrying about nothing. I have no idea what the failure rate actually is on these CPU's. I suppose as long as it's installed properly and heat sinked well, the chance of failure is very low?

[rallynavvie]

I forgot that OEM usually means without HSF so there's additional cost with that. I would trust the processor to work right out of the box, and if not something would go wrong right away. I bought my 3.06s off eBay so even less of a warranty and they're still going fine. My 1900 MPs were in a board that melted its ATX power connector together and they survived that just fine. I think we underestimate just how durable CPUs can be.

It's a tough choice though.

[Roundabout]

That's what I was thinking, the approximate added cost of an HSF and the value of a three year warranty may justify an extra $20 or so. More like insurance, because although the HSF that comes with the retail kit doesn't seem to be too great (according to what some here have said), possibly it's adequate. Also, by the time I add an aftermarket HSF it'll probably be more than the retail kit anyway, so the retail kit seems to be a pretty good deal, when compared to OEM prices.

So for $20, what you're really buying is peace of mind. About an extra 10% or so, which could be a bargain if the CPU ever fries. I have never had that happen yet *knocks on wood* but suppose it is more likely when the CPU is being pushed hard for hours, as in video editing and converting.

I think you (or someone) mentioned that P4's have a built-in protection from overheating, so that might be a good thing in the case of OEM chips.

Now you see why I'm having a hard time deciding what to do, and procrastinated for so long. I really would like to get the PC up and running, but I've had a hard time deciding, even more so now that the prices have increased.

Thanks for your input. I'll have to make a choice sometime, maybe I'll get lucky and someone will put one on sale and make my decision easier. I can always hope...

[808smokey]

Why is 256mb of PC2100 ram more than 256mb PC3200??

[bazooka]

Why is 256mb of PC2100 ram more than 256mb PC3200??

Because the older ram is starting to be phased out.

[rallynavvie]

I have never had that happen yet *knocks on wood* but suppose it is more likely when the CPU is being pushed hard for hours, as in video editing and converting.

Hasn't happened to me yet. I ran the old Athlon system at 100% nearly 24/7 and even the new one is doing the same lately. I just finally lost the Dell to what was probably the result of a bad board after running 100% anytime I wasn't on it for checking email and surfing, the processor was probably just fine. I don't think running it a lot is going to hurt it unless you don't cool it properly.

The OEM cooling works, it has to in order for Intel to box it with its processors. It is flaky for Prescotts, but Northwoods are okay. The only thing I've noticed about OEM HSFs is the stock fan is kinda noisy.

[808smokey]

Why is 256mb of PC2100 ram more than 256mb PC3200??

Because the older ram is starting to be phased out.

I know,
it was more a fecisious (SP) question. It's cheaper to build a new 'puter than an older one