Used server DDR4 RAM chips are being recycled for consumer kits

[nanoguy]

Why it matters: This may seem like a good time to hunt for a new memory kit for your next PC build or as an upgrade to an existing one, but some of the irresistible deals you may come across hide an ugly truth. Apparently, some small companies have been using discarded server-grade memory chips to build "new" consumer-grade kits. This may sound good for the environment and your wallet, but it also means some products may offer a more limited warranty.

DRAM prices have seen a significant drop over the past year, so much so that the price gap between DDR4 and DDR5 kits offering equivalent performance is no longer a major barrier for those looking to upgrade their systems to the newest platform or building a new PC on a budget.

Earlier this month, analysts at TrendForce said memory price cuts would slow to a trickle in the coming months as a result of seasonal demand as well as memory manufacturers reducing their production targets. This trend will supposedly apply across all types of DRAM, from mobile chips to server-grade memory.

If you've been on the lookout for a DDR4 kit, there's something you need to keep in mind before you decide to part with your hard-earned cash. TrendForce analysts claim the DRAM market is currently being flooded by a wave of repurposed memory chips that are being integrated into consumer-grade modules that are sold as "new".

It turns out that enterprise customers have been upgrading their server infrastructure using DDR5 modules and, as a result, they've been offloading a lot of high-capacity DDR4 memory. The volume is so high that some small companies can justify the expense of desoldering the chips from server-grade DRAM modules for use in consumer-grade kits they can sell for a small profit.

TrendForce analysts claim this development has already had a measurable effect on spot market pricing for memory chips, which is bad news for manufacturers who have been trying to stabilize prices in recent months.

For consumers, this means that some deals on no-name DDR4 kits may indeed be too good to be true, as they are built using recycled SK Hynix and Samsung chips that may not survive as long as products built using newly-manufactured memory chips.

Permalink to story.

https://www.techspot.com/news/99631-server-ddr4-ram-chips-recycled-consumer-kits.html

 

[redgarl]

The good thing about memory is that it will probably outlast any other components of your built. Not to mention that server based DIMMs are highly reliable.

 

[Cycloid Torus]

Used DDR3 - about 3 years old when bought - 8 years in use - cost 25% of new - what's not to love.

 

[captaincranky]

Isn't most server RAM ECC? AFAIK, most consumer boards can't cope with it.

 

[OortCloud]

Isn't most server RAM ECC? AFAIK, most consumer boards can't cope with it.

I 'think' - though I'm not sure - that ECC RAM is the same chips, there's just an extra one to do parity checking to make sure no problems with the RAM?

 

[OortCloud]

I'm ok with this. In all the years I've been using PC's I can't remember a RAM failure on any of them. So a cheap secondhand RAM module with good quality chips on it seems ok, although they should let people know in the product description!

The only memory errors I've had were in my own in-skull-SDR1 which is getting on a bit now.

 

[neeyik]

I 'think' - though I'm not sure - that ECC RAM is the same chips, there's just an extra one to do parity checking to make sure no problems with the RAM?

Yes, this is correct. Inherently, there's no difference between the DDR4 modules used in general consumer UDIMMs, workstation/server RDIMMs, and workstation/server ECC-enabled UDIMM/RDIMMs. Better quality chips might be used for the latter but most likely they're just standard ones -- it's not like they're ever running at high clock speeds, so they don't need to be anything special.

 

[takaozo]

DDR4 prices went down hard. For the money I got 32GB 3200 CL16 last year you can now get 64 now.

 

[WhiteLeaff]

I would be concerned if I buy generic products

 

[nismo91]

Haven't had any RAM failure ever. incompatibility issues yes, but never a failure.

if a refurb RAM cost almost half of the new one I wouldn't mind them as long as the price is right.

 

[hwertz]

I wouldn't buy a used SSD -- limited write life. On the other hand, RAM doesn't wear out and I'd have no problem buying used RAM.

I've had experience with 3 bad sticks in over 30 years -- 1 had a serious issue (factory defect), I took it back to Fry's, they popped it into a RAM tester and said it was fine until I said "Yeah but look at the size it's showing" (it was showing like 1/4 the size it was supposed to.) Then they exchanged it no problem.

The other, a computer store in town (that went out of business pretty quickly) had metal-and-glass counters and the "high wear" carpeting that all seemed to be designed to maximize static buildup; so they were essentially destroying components as they shocked them with a massive static shock as they took them out of the counter and bagged them up for sale.

One did actually spontaneously get a stuck bit, after years of operation. Luckily I had a method of telling Linux to reinstall ALL installed packages, because sometimes the bad bit was in the disk cache so it had written corrupted updates to the system (I wondered why it was still a tad unstable after I'd replaced the RAM, until I saw a flipped letter in one of the program's menus and had that "oh sh*t" moment. The full package reinstall fixed it.) This is EXTREMELY uncommon though (but a good reason why servers should have ECC memory!)