MSI Warns DDR5 Memory Likely to Cost 50-60% More Than DDR4

Although the leaks and information surrounding the new upcoming DDR5 memory platform have certainly increased over the last month, there is one burning question that has still yet to be answered. Namely, just how expensive it will be, particularly so when compared to DDR4. – Well, following a lengthy blog post by MSI, the news isn’t looking overly optimistic as they believe that the comparative price difference will be something approaching 50-60%.

MSI Warns DDR5 Will Be Expensive!

It was, of course, always expected that DDR5 memory would come at a higher initial price than DDR4. New technology is, after all, generally expensive stuff. In specifically addressing what cost consumers might expect on its launch, however, MSI suspects that, unlike prior generational memory upgrades, DDR5 is such a significant step forward that it will have to carry a notably higher price tag than many might currently anticipate:

“Historically, newer memory technology has always commanded close to a 30-40% premium over the previous generation. However, this time, DDR5 includes additional components that have driven the costs up further. As a result, we expect a 50-60% price premium compared to DDR4 at launch.

It typically takes around 2 years to reach price parity with previous generations, and we expect trends to remain similar with DDR5 modules as well.”

What Do We Think?

On the whole, what MSI is saying here makes total sense. There is always something of an ‘early adopter’ tax when it comes to new technology and although the initial modules are not expected to be overly potent when compared to DDR4, it will likely take around 2 years not just for the performance to start leaping ahead, but also for the prices to get to some level of parity.

However, the post regarding DDR5 from MSI does get rather extensive on the subject and if you want to check it out for yourself, simply click on the link here!

What do you think? – Let us know in the comments!