Reality check on RAM prices

This one's for you Robo

Checked my December 1995 price lists (LCS) and 128MB RAM (2 64MB SIMMS) was $9200 (excl GST) That makes 512MB $36800 or $41400 inclusive of GST. Even 8MB SIMMS were $500 and if you wanted EDO it was an extra $50. Makes your eyes water doesn't it. Those are just about house prices in 1995 dollars.

By May 1998 you could have 128MB SDRAM for a measly $740 ex GST and 512MB was a mere $3330 (incl)

And people say those were the days?

Billy 8-{)

First extra RAM I bought was when 386's were BIG news. Cost me $100 for 1Mb.

It's all relative thou. Back then that would have made a big difference, where as now you spend around the same amount to get a decent increase in speed.

JM

PS. ian did you mean a megabyte(MB) or a megabit(Mb)

Hey Billy, are you sure your fingers haven't slipped on the keys there? Thirty six THOUSAND, eight hundred dollars for 512mb ram?!! Who the hell could afford that?!

I got my first PC back in '94 with a whopping 8mb ram - the usual was 4mb then. The system was $2999 + GST just like they are now! She still works though - just. I reformatted it a year ago and stuffed it up a bit, now the kids won't use it. Or maybe that's because it's too slow... haha!

Cheers

Sorry Susan

My fingers didn't slip, it was $4600 excl gst for a 64MB simm. Don't forget, these were the days when 16MB was unusual and people drooled at the idea of 32MB.

I have a friend who was doing desktop publishing with a 486DX50 at that time and I recall that he spent many thousands to upgrade to 64MB.

I doubt that anything but a high-end server could have accommodated 512MB of RAM back then so the question is academic. I just posted the prices to help keep our collective feet on the ground.

One day when 1GB sticks are $5 we'll look back and wonder why we paid $100 for 256MB. (Now I really am dreaming!!)

Here's some more: Plextor 6x scsi CD $1100, Intel P133 cpu $1000, 1.2GB IDE $750, 4.2GB scsi $2390. Internal 28.8 modem $495.

Ah.....nostalgia

Billy 8-{)

let's get nostalgic!! i have in front of me a copy of the Ch-Ch Press circa 22 Nov '92. PC General (remember them) have a top of the line 486dx2-66 with a 14' SVGA monitor, 42MB HD, 1MB RAM. Upgrades available to 16MB RAM for only $949.00, to 210MB HD only $550.00.
Windows 3.1 plus a mouse was a bargain though at only $149.00, a far cry from XP prices.

And my 4kx8 s100 memory board cost me about $300. Tha was a kit, so I had to solder the sockets, regulators, and passive components to the board. They were 1kx1 chips, so there were a lot of sockets.

Oh, stop it, you're making me feel old!

But hey, I've always said buy a cheap low-end computer and be prepared to replace it often. Was I right or was I right?

And I remember when RAM prices got DOWN to $100 per megabyte.

Sigh. It must just about be time to take the long walk out of the igloo.

Robo.