Good news for anyone planning to purchase system memory in the near future: prices are plummeting. According to anonymous industry sources cited by DigiTimes, a weakening demand for PCs is pushing DRAM prices down, and things might stay that way for a while. It's believed that lower computer sales will lead to an oversupply of DRAM chips through early next year.

If everything plays out as expected, you shouldn't have to part with a kidney for a 4GB RAM kit in the coming months. In fact, that trend is already showing, with e-tail pricing falling a bit over the last couple weeks. Along with excess supply, DigiTimes notes that DRAM manufacturers are gradually switching to more efficient fabrication tech, which should also lower prices.

Samsung, for example, is now mass producing its 40nm products and that will lower the cost of its 2Gb chips to as low as $1.50. By comparison, recent spot prices from DRAMeXchange show 1Gb DDR2 chips just below the $2 mark, while 1Gb DDR3 parts are around $2.20 to $2.30.