The coming “dark age for gaming hardware” - two 16GB DDR5 modules for 32GB total start at $330

[weckart]

Technology changes lot faster than that and when the bubble bursts all these predictions will look silly.

Technology may do but it relies on engineering and supply. When it comes to RAM there are three big players, one of which is SK Hynix. It probably knows what it is talking about.

Unlike the last time there was a squeeze caused by the floods in Asia, there is not going to be any ramping up of supply by other fabs so once the bubble bursts, the high prices are going to stay right through 2026 regardless of what happens to AI as that entire year's supply is spoken for already. Once in 2027, assuming the crash has happened, you are going to have to hope for a rapid ramping up of DDR5 or whatever to bring prices down. I can't see either Micron or SK Hynix busting a gut to cut profit margins after only one year of plenty. The dark horse is Samsung as it has its own successful range of consumer IT products to service as well as large clients like Apple.

There are a number of Chinese fabs coming along, at least one ready to roll in 2026. From what I can see, none will be in any position to help in any meaningful way with the DDR5 shortfall unless anyone else knows different.

 

[teh_hunterer]

I tried to explain to a Windows computer user that Apple's memory is fabricated into the processor chip and that Apple doesn't use the RAM modules that the Windows computer uses. As such Apple is not affected by the windows computer RAM price increases

What were you explaining, exactly? RAM is still RAM, whether it is put in a module or put directly on to an SoC. The components, the manufacturing capacity, the rising costs, none of that goes away just because Apple puts memory in the SoC rather than in separate modules.

Apple can mitigate some of the cost because of their massive pre-orders for components and manufacturing capacity, but not because they somehow use special Mac RAM.

 

[MRMSFC]

The reports I’ve seen indicate AI hasn’t been saving firms much (if any) money and it hasn’t been paying for itself. And this is at massively subsidized pricing that the AI companies can’t make money from

The biggest companies crowing about using LLM’s to replace labor are the biggest liars.

As far as AI goes, training models is going to get massively more expensive and time consuming as time goes on because we flat out do not have enough power to power the datacenters, and the generated content from the current AI models needs to be sorted through and excluded from future training.

Also the shortage being partially driven by OpenAI buying wafers just to prevent other companies from getting them (and just throwing the wafers in storage) is peak anticompetitive ********.

Regardless, the average consumer is being ****ed by big corporations again.

 

[maflynn]

The biggest companies crowing about using LLM’s to replace labor are the biggest liars.

Why?

Here's a Video from Dave Plummer - a retired micosoft developer who In 15 minutes had an AI create a Basic interpreter that compiled and ran on macos and a pdp11.

And you wonder why Microsoft has laid off developers and are using AI instead.

Call centers are laying off people and they're being replaced by AI
Will AI mean the end of call centres?

No joke, I called a local pizza place in East Boston and they had an AI bot take my order. Its not something I liked, but there you go, a small pizza chain using AI, instead of having a worker - how is lying.

Artificial intelligence is replacing workers and the cost of using AI is cheaper then those employees.

 

[PBG4 Dude]

Why?

Here's a Video from Dave Plummer - a retired micosoft developer who In 15 minutes had an AI create a Basic interpreter that compiled and ran on macos and a pdp11.

And you wonder why Microsoft has laid off developers and are using AI instead.

Call centers are laying off people and they're being replaced by AI
Will AI mean the end of call centres?

No joke, I called a local pizza place in East Boston and they had an AI bot take my order. Its not something I liked, but there you go, a small pizza chain using AI, instead of having a worker - how is lying.

Artificial intelligence is replacing workers and the cost of using AI is cheaper than those employees.

Your pizza shop example is where I see AI/LLMs going. Purpose-built specific use LLMs trained for a single purpose. Like comparing a Nintendo Switch (purpose-built) to a Mac laptop (general computing).

 

[splifingate]

My goodness!

Last RAM I purchased was a Crucial Pro 128GB Kit (2x64GB) DDR5 5600MHz kit for USD299 in late July '25...wishing now that I'd chosen the ECC version 🤷‍♂️

 

[JSRinUK]

No joke, I called a local pizza place in East Boston and they had an AI bot take my order. It’s not something I liked, but there you go, a small pizza chain using AI, instead of having a worker - how is lying.

Artificial intelligence is replacing workers and the cost of using AI is cheaper then those employees.

We have a great future ahead of us.

AI: “Yes, you ordered a meat pizza but that is moderated by UK law so I made you a vegan pizza.”

“You have anchovies on your pizza after you specifically told me not to add them? Great catch!”

“I hear your frustration with getting nuts on a pizza when you said you are allergic to nuts, but as an AI I have to balance our over supply of nuts with your need to live.”

This is going to be fun.

 

[Plutonius]

We have a great future ahead of us.

AI: “Yes, you ordered a meat pizza but that is moderated by UK law so I made you a vegan pizza.”

“You have anchovies on your pizza after you specifically told me not to add them? Great catch!”

“I hear your frustration with getting nuts on a pizza when you said you are allergic to nuts, but as an AI I have to balance our over supply of nuts with your need to live.”

This is going to be fun.

I wonder how AI will respond to prank calls.

 

[Queen6]

Why?

Here's a Video from Dave Plummer - a retired micosoft developer who In 15 minutes had an AI create a Basic interpreter that compiled and ran on macos and a pdp11.

And you wonder why Microsoft has laid off developers and are using AI instead.

Call centers are laying off people and they're being replaced by AI
Will AI mean the end of call centres?

No joke, I called a local pizza place in East Boston and they had an AI bot take my order. Its not something I liked, but there you go, a small pizza chain using AI, instead of having a worker - how is lying.

Artificial intelligence is replacing workers and the cost of using AI is cheaper then those employees.

Seems self-defeating, fewer people working, less money circulating. AI has use, equally I don't want it in my face 24/7.

Q-6

 

[maflynn]

Seems self-defeating, fewer people working, less money circulating. AI has use, equally I don't want it in my face 24/7.

Q-6

Not denying that, but that was the argument whenever a shift occurred, whether it was automation in the automotive industry, or outsourcing programmers to india. Business don't care as long as their bottom line looks good

 

[Heat_Fan89]

Seems self-defeating, fewer people working, less money circulating. AI has use, equally I don't want it in my face 24/7.

Q-6

I tend to agree. While there's an expectation that we have been here before with technology changing the way we work at least humans were needed for the future changes. With AI, they will be replacing humans period. You and your neighbor will probably be out of work. Those in the videogames development industry are finding that out the hard way.

That's why there's now more talk about a universal basic income to replace the jobs humans will no longer have. That's not even conspiracy talk. Elon Musk and others have said so. The late Stephen Hawking warned about the pitfalls regarding the quest for AI and as it gets more advanced it will present even more problems for humans. It's a good thing I'm approaching 70.

 

[JSRinUK]

I tend to agree. While there's an expectation that we have been here before with technology changing the way we work at least humans were needed for the future changes. With AI, they will be replacing humans period. You and your neighbor will probably be out of work. Those in the videogames development industry are finding that out the hard way.

That's why there's now more talk about a universal basic income to replace the jobs humans will no longer have. That's not even conspiracy talk. Elon Musk and others have said so. The late Stephen Hawking warned about the pitfalls regarding the quest for AI and as it gets more advanced it will present even more problems for humans. It's a good thing I'm approaching 70.

Elon Musk: “People won’t need money in the future.”
Also Elon Musk: Negotiates a deal worth $1tn to his pocket over the next decade.

The push for these AIs right now is all hollow promises intended to convince investors to keep investing so that the companies behind AI keep the money rolling in. That’s why they each keep training and training their models - not for what they can do, but so that their “next version” is better than everyone else’s AI. For, if they’re not better than another AI, they risk investors jumping ship and their money train stopping. It’s not about what AI brings to our lives, but about how much money the grift brings to theirs.

I think we need to couch our enthusiasm for what AI will actually be doing in the long-term and not focus so much on promises from AI corporations in the short-term. After the fallout, it’s possible that frontier AI could become a failed footnote in history, but the legacy might be local LLMs that people fine-tune and customise to their own purposes. That could prove to be the exciting future of AI.

 

[Heat_Fan89]

I think we need to couch our enthusiasm for what AI will actually be doing in the long-term and not focus so much on promises from AI corporations in the short-term.

I don't know nor have a crystal ball regarding the future but numerous layoffs have already taken place because of AI. Amazon has reduced its workforce and replaced it with AI. Videogame developers have reduced staff and replaced it with AI. That seems to be the trend. I'm more focused on the impact that AI has already had on the current workforce. There are signs that are a cause for concern whatever motive Elon has in AI. Also Elon is not the only one who has a stake in AI. Chinese companies are also racing to be the leader in AI.

 

[fgengineer]

Yup, but with the number of products, stability of sales, and sheer quantity of said products they ship, they can likely negotiate better margins than others.

Aware their existing contract expires in January, this is why i bought the ipad pro last week.

What contract?

At Apples scale, I am sure they have multiple contracts with multiple companies.

Plus, Apple has existing supply of both systems and parts so the effect of one contract running out will take a while to be felt.

 

[BenTrovato]

Elon Musk: “People won’t need money in the future.”
Also Elon Musk: Negotiates a deal worth $1tn to his pocket over the next decade.

The push for these AIs right now is all hollow promises intended to convince investors to keep investing so that the companies behind AI keep the money rolling in. That’s why they each keep training and training their models - not for what they can do, but so that their “next version” is better than everyone else’s AI. For, if they’re not better than another AI, they risk investors jumping ship and their money train stopping. It’s not about what AI brings to our lives, but about how much money the grift brings to theirs.

I think we need to couch our enthusiasm for what AI will actually be doing in the long-term and not focus so much on promises from AI corporations in the short-term. After the fallout, it’s possible that frontier AI could become a failed footnote in history, but the legacy might be local LLMs that people fine-tune and customise to their own purposes. That could prove to be the exciting future of AI.

Honestly, from a tech perspective. This makes little to no sense.

The Elon quotes are taken out of context. Feel free to look up the exact wording of the money in the future dialog. As far as the compensation package, it's an ambitious target but only if he hits his targets - it's unlikely he hits them all. Shareholders would have been stupid to decline it since it benefits them as much as him so your take here is again out of context.

You speak of a fallout and a grift, meanwhile our primitive LLM's are already replacing jobs. It's not slowing down, it's speeding up. How would that end in a footnote? It's like calling the motor vehicle a failed experiment and we'll all go back to horses. I would agree that like any bubble money chases absurd valuations like we are seeing now and something is likely to break along the way but to deny the technological advancement and being unable to see how this is going to impact nearly every facet of our lives is shortsighted to say the least.

 

[JSRinUK]

Honestly, from a tech perspective. This makes little to no sense.

The Elon quotes are taken out of context. Feel free to look up the exact wording of the money in the future dialog. As far as the compensation package, it's an ambitious target but only if he hits his targets - it's unlikely he hits them all. Shareholders would have been stupid to decline it since it benefits them as much as him so your take here is again out of context.

You speak of a fallout and a grift, meanwhile our primitive LLM's are already replacing jobs. It's not slowing down, it's speeding up. How would that end in a footnote? It's like calling the motor vehicle a failed experiment and we'll all go back to horses. I would agree that like any bubble money chases absurd valuations like we are seeing now and something is likely to break along the way but to deny the technological advancement and being unable to see how this is going to impact nearly every facet of our lives is shortsighted to say the least.

One thing I've noticed is that people seem to lean one way or the other when it comes to their assessment of AI, with not much common ground. I think it'll be interesting to see where we are in 1-2 years time.

Whatever happens, there's very little that most of us can do about it.

Also consider in your rush to reply to my comment that I didn't say AI is a "failed experiment", only that frontier AI (i.e., that being "sold" by OpenAI, xAI, Anthrophic, Google, and all the others) is likely to disappear and we'll be left with local models that companies and individuals will be finetuning and customising for their own specific purposes. That's what I think is the exciting future of AI. Not what the big corporations try to sell us, but what the geeks among us turn it into.

 

[throAU]

What contract?

At Apples scale, I am sure they have multiple contracts with multiple companies.

Plus, Apple has existing supply of both systems and parts so the effect of one contract running out will take a while to be felt.

every contract they negotiate.