With DDR4 and DDR5 prices surging, DDR3 platforms are creeping back into builds, giving the PC market a “refreshing” dose of 2010s nostalgia.
A report claims Chinese motherboard brands are seeing DDR3 board sales running two to three times higher than the pre-shortage era.
Board Channels reckons the bargain-build crowd is driving it, helped along by bundles pairing DDR3 motherboards with Intel 6th- to 9th-gen processors. It puts it bluntly: “There is one major trend worth watching: DDR3 motherboard sales are growing quickly.”
Board Channels adds: “Bundles that pair DDR3 motherboards with 6th to 9th gen CPUs are selling well,” and says volumes are up “roughly 2 to 3 times or more.” That is a proper swing for a memory standard most people had mentally filed next to SATA DVDs.
Outside China, the picture is murkier, but it tracks with buyers hunting any workable escape from eye-watering RAM prices. The snag is that Chipzilla’s 6th to 9th gen chips have been discontinued for ages, so “new” often means used, cleaned up and flipped.
DDR4 platforms still look more cost-effective than DDR5, and AM4 is reportedly seeing a sharp rise in demand as buyers seek cheaper paths to a functioning PC. DDR4 kits may be less insane than DDR5, but plenty of people are not paying $150 to $200 for 32GB just to browse and game.
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