4 ms·

> 16GB base RAM, they finally did it. I've paid €200 for 128GB RAM in my PC. How much does Apple charge for 128GB of memory?

cube2222 2y ago
I get your point, and Apple doesn't price RAM cheap, but it's worth noting that any RAM doesn't equal any other RAM. There's a ton of ram types with varying performance levels, and in apple's case it's RAM with direct and performant access from the graphics card (unified memory).
- kjkjadksj 2y ago
  I’d much rather have had serviceable ram modules than sightly faster ram to the gpu I will never fully flex with macos software anyhow. Speaking as someone saddled with one of these computers.
- angoragoats 2y ago
  Every M-series Mac has shipped with completely standard LPDDR4 or LPDDR5(X) memory chips. While these can be a bit more expensive than socketed non-LP DDR DIMMS, we're talking maybe 10% more expensive, not 1000% more expensive (which is what Apple charges for upgrades vs standard retail price for DIMMs). Apple's marketing department would be happy for you to think otherwise, but the "secret sauce" of their high memory bandwidth is completely due to having more memory channels built into the SoC than a standard x86 CPU.
- throwaway48476 2y ago
  RAM is literally a JEDEC standard.
  - astrodust 2y ago
    You're not buying a standard, you're buying a module with particular packaging and specifications, all of which have a huge impact on production cost.
    - throwaway48476 2y ago
      RAM cost is predominantly the cost to produce the silicon, which is a standard and interchangeable. Apple uses multiple sourcing as well to lower their cost.
- Wytwwww 2y ago
  Isn't the memory in the Surface Laptop 7 (and presumably other comparable Qualcomm/x86 laptops) quite a bit faster? Of course MS overcharges on upgrades as well... because they can. Can it really have anything to do with cost, though? I wouldn't be surprised that the slotted RAM in laptops that support it and which Lenovo/Dell/etc. sell pretty cheap ir as or more expensive than the "Apple Magic Unified Max Marketing RAM" wholesale?
- Tuna-Fish 2y ago
  The fancy part is how it is attached. The memory modules themselves are one of the cheapest kinds of commodity ram. The cost to Apple for going from 16GB to 32GB is less than $40. So of course it's priced at $400.
wtallis 2y ago
€200 for 128GB as an aftermarket upgrade, or €200 upcharge for 128GB from a system OEM?
- Wytwwww 2y ago
  > €200 for 128GB as an aftermarket upgrade I'd love that, seems like a fantastic deal. I assume it's DDR4, though? Which makes it an even more apples to oranges comparison. However if we're being fair Dell seems to be charging about 50% less (and Lenovo 75% at least for some models) for soldered LPDDR5X upgrades than Apple and Lunar Lake seems to have comparable bandwidth
bee_rider 2y ago
Isn’t Apple’s RAM inside CPU package? I think it might not be possible to put together a system (at least with consumer parts) that matches their memory bandwidth. On the other hand, they are limited in capacity. It is a trade off, it is silly to pretend they are just limiting memory capacity out of the vileness of their hearts or something.
- angoragoats 2y ago
  > Isn’t Apple’s RAM inside CPU package? No, but their marketing department would like you to think so. > It is silly to pretend they are just limiting memory capacity out of the vileness of their hearts or something. They are limiting memory capacity and charging you 8x-10x reasonable retail price for upgrades, so that their profit margins stay high. Whether or not that's vile is something I leave to you to decide.
  - wtallis 2y ago
    > No, but their marketing department would like you to think so. Can you link to a teardown that finds RAM somewhere other than the CPU package? Or were you in too much of a hurry to notice that the comment you replied to didn't make the common mistake of claiming the RAM is on-die not just on-package?
    - angoragoats 2y ago
      If you're trying to get into a semantic argument about the meaning of "CPU package," I'm not interested, thanks!
      - bee_rider 2y ago
        FWIW I wasn’t trying to start a semantic argument about the meaning of the term “CPU package,” I just thought it was a clear and specific term.
        angoragoats 2y ago
shalmanese 2y ago
How much does it cost you to buy a GPU with 128GB of RAM on it?
- viraptor 2y ago
  We'll know soon https://www.tomshardware.com/pc-components/cpus/amds-strix-halo-being-tested-with-128gb-ram-shipping-records-reveal-more-about-extreme-120w-apu https://www.tomshardware.com/pc-components/cpus/amds-strix-h...

cube2222 2y ago

I get your point, and Apple doesn't price RAM cheap, but it's worth noting that any RAM doesn't equal any other RAM. There's a ton of ram types with varying performance levels, and in apple's case it's RAM with direct and performant access from the graphics card (unified memory).

kjkjadksj 2y ago
I’d much rather have had serviceable ram modules than sightly faster ram to the gpu I will never fully flex with macos software anyhow. Speaking as someone saddled with one of these computers.
angoragoats 2y ago
Every M-series Mac has shipped with completely standard LPDDR4 or LPDDR5(X) memory chips. While these can be a bit more expensive than socketed non-LP DDR DIMMS, we're talking maybe 10% more expensive, not 1000% more expensive (which is what Apple charges for upgrades vs standard retail price for DIMMs). Apple's marketing department would be happy for you to think otherwise, but the "secret sauce" of their high memory bandwidth is completely due to having more memory channels built into the SoC than a standard x86 CPU.
throwaway48476 2y ago
RAM is literally a JEDEC standard.
- astrodust 2y ago
  You're not buying a standard, you're buying a module with particular packaging and specifications, all of which have a huge impact on production cost.
  - throwaway48476 2y ago
    RAM cost is predominantly the cost to produce the silicon, which is a standard and interchangeable. Apple uses multiple sourcing as well to lower their cost.
Wytwwww 2y ago
Isn't the memory in the Surface Laptop 7 (and presumably other comparable Qualcomm/x86 laptops) quite a bit faster? Of course MS overcharges on upgrades as well... because they can. Can it really have anything to do with cost, though? I wouldn't be surprised that the slotted RAM in laptops that support it and which Lenovo/Dell/etc. sell pretty cheap ir as or more expensive than the "Apple Magic Unified Max Marketing RAM" wholesale?
Tuna-Fish 2y ago
The fancy part is how it is attached. The memory modules themselves are one of the cheapest kinds of commodity ram. The cost to Apple for going from 16GB to 32GB is less than $40. So of course it's priced at $400.

wtallis 2y ago

€200 for 128GB as an aftermarket upgrade, or €200 upcharge for 128GB from a system OEM?

Wytwwww 2y ago
> €200 for 128GB as an aftermarket upgrade I'd love that, seems like a fantastic deal. I assume it's DDR4, though? Which makes it an even more apples to oranges comparison. However if we're being fair Dell seems to be charging about 50% less (and Lenovo 75% at least for some models) for soldered LPDDR5X upgrades than Apple and Lunar Lake seems to have comparable bandwidth

bee_rider 2y ago

Isn’t Apple’s RAM inside CPU package? I think it might not be possible to put together a system (at least with consumer parts) that matches their memory bandwidth. On the other hand, they are limited in capacity. It is a trade off, it is silly to pretend they are just limiting memory capacity out of the vileness of their hearts or something.

angoragoats 2y ago
> Isn’t Apple’s RAM inside CPU package? No, but their marketing department would like you to think so. > It is silly to pretend they are just limiting memory capacity out of the vileness of their hearts or something. They are limiting memory capacity and charging you 8x-10x reasonable retail price for upgrades, so that their profit margins stay high. Whether or not that's vile is something I leave to you to decide.
- wtallis 2y ago
  > No, but their marketing department would like you to think so. Can you link to a teardown that finds RAM somewhere other than the CPU package? Or were you in too much of a hurry to notice that the comment you replied to didn't make the common mistake of claiming the RAM is on-die not just on-package?
  - angoragoats 2y ago
    If you're trying to get into a semantic argument about the meaning of "CPU package," I'm not interested, thanks!
    - bee_rider 2y ago
      FWIW I wasn’t trying to start a semantic argument about the meaning of the term “CPU package,” I just thought it was a clear and specific term.
      - angoragoats 2y ago

shalmanese 2y ago

How much does it cost you to buy a GPU with 128GB of RAM on it?

viraptor 2y ago
We'll know soon https://www.tomshardware.com/pc-components/cpus/amds-strix-halo-being-tested-with-128gb-ram-shipping-records-reveal-more-about-extreme-120w-apu https://www.tomshardware.com/pc-components/cpus/amds-strix-h...