Original Link: https://www.anandtech.com/show/745



Introduction

It's time once again for AnandTech's Memory and Motherboard price guide.

The basic goal is to provide you with the best deals, and follow price trends of the listed products. We have selected a leading team of on-line vendors, and will be tracking their progress on weekly basis. Please note that all vendors were selected according to their best price offered. Some vendors may ask that you place a phone-order to make sure that you receive our listed price; others simply ask that you mention where you found the price (in this case AnandTech). We have tried to eliminate vendors with low feedback rating, but we do encourage you to do some research before purchasing any product from this list.

If you encounter any problems with a vendor on our list, please email us, and we will take appropriate action. Remember that we will only list vendors with positive customer feedback. If you have any suggestions, don't hesitate to let us know.

Also be sure to check out AnandTech's Hot Deals Forum for even more great memory, motherboard, CPU, video card and other technology buys.

Disclaimer

AnandTech does not endorse any vendor listed in the following price guide. AnandTech does not receive any advertising fees and/or sponsorship from the listed vendors. All views expressed by listed vendors do not reflect the opinions of AnandTech.

AnandTech, nor any of the vendors mentioned guarantee that the prices listed in this guide are accurate.

This Week

Welcome to AnandTech's Weekly Memory and Motherboard Price Guide.

In the memory arena most modules have taken a price hike with some modules jumping anywhere from $8 to $24 in price. In our last guide we mentioned that the length of the memory price drops was uncertain but it seems from this week's prices that price drops will become fewer in the coming months. However, some modules continue their plunge including PC2100 DDR memory as well as RDRAM memory. Almost all PC133 and PC100 modules have taken significant price hikes yet memory prices have not become obnoxiously expensive overall.

Prices with Intel-based and AMD-based motherboards have taken separate paths this week as prices for most Intel-based boards have either stabilized or dropped slightly whereas most AMD-based boards have all fallen. Other than that we've added several more high-end motherboards to our list including AOpen's AMD 760 showing, the MK7A, and the VIA Pro266-based EPoX EP-3VHA.



Memory
AnandTech Weekly Memory Prices
Memory Type - Size
Price
Change
Vendor
Shipping
Promotion
PC2100 DDR - 256MB $185 $37 Mark One Computers Check Vendor Standard Ground
PC2100 DDR - 128MB $89 $23 Mark One Computers Check Vendor Standard Ground
PC1600 DDR - 256MB $95 $0 Crucial Free UPS 2nd Day
PC1600 DDR - 128MB $55 $0 Crucial Free UPS 2nd Day
PC1600 DDR - 64MB $47 $8 Z-Buy Free Free Freight 3 Days FedEx
PC800 RDRAM - 256MB $291 $58 Runtime $7.00 UPS Ground Insured
PC800 RDRAM - 128MB $128 $27 Runtime $7.00 UPS Ground Insured
PC800 RDRAM - 64MB $77 $12 Kaypro $8.00  
VC133 - 128MB $109 $10 Micro X-Press Check Vendor FedEx Saver
VC133 - 64MB $59 $0 Micro X-Press Check Vendor FedEx Saver
"PC150" CAS2 - 256MB $130 $31 PC Progress $14.00 UPS Ground
"PC150" CAS2 - 128MB $70 $16 PC Progress $14.00 UPS Ground
"PC150" CAS3 - 256MB $106 $14 AccessMicro $8.95 UPS Ground
"PC150" CAS3 - 128MB $45 $5 PCBoost $15.85 UPS Ground
PC133 CAS3 - 256MB $95 $24 Crucial Free UPS 2nd Day
PC133 CAS3 - 128MB $51 $12 Crucial Free UPS 2nd Day
PC133 CAS3 - 64MB $32 $10 Crucial Free UPS 2nd Day
PC133 CAS2 - 256MB $100 $8 Crucial Free UPS 2nd Day
PC133 CAS2 - 128MB $55 $6 Crucial Free UPS 2nd Day
PC133 CAS2 - 64MB $32 $0 Crucial Free UPS 2nd Day
PC100 ECC 512MB $235 $0 StarComponents $11.00 Lifetime Warranty
PC100 ECC 256MB $97 NA Crucial Free UPS 2nd Day
PC100 ECC 128MB $54 $8 Crucial Free UPS 2nd Day
PC100 ECC 64MB $38 $9 Crucial Free UPS 2nd Day
PC100 256MB $81 $10 Jazz Technology USA Check Vendor UPS Ground
PC100 128MB $50 $10 Crucial Free UPS 2nd Day
PC100 64MB $28 $7 Crucial Free UPS 2nd Day

It seems that memory prices have done a full 180 this week as most modules have taken a hefty price hike. That's not to say that all our listed modules are on the rise since DDR and RDRAM continue their plunge with 256MB of PC2100 memory falling $37 and 256MB of PC800 RDRAM falling a whopping $58. Motherboards that use these memory variants, DDR and P4-based boards, have also come down price illustrating that the flood of these solutions continues into the marketplace.

Unfortunately PC133 and PC100 memory is not seeing the huge price drops of their DDR and RDRAM cousins. Instead, most PC133 and PC100 modules have taken significant price hikes in the range of $7 to $24, which is quite high. A reason for the sudden increase in SDRAM prices is that memory manufacturers are beginning to place more focus on higher-bandwidth memory, being DDR and RDRAM. If you remember, Intel announced a major initiative to push RDRAM at this spring's IDF conference. Therefore less SDRAM would be produced as compared to DDR and RDRAM which explains the continuing price drops of DDR and RDRAM and now the price hikes of SDRAM. Since the push is for higher-bandwidth systems it will be a while until these types of systems become as prevalent as SDRAM-based desktop PCs. So for now, the past price drops that we saw with SDRAM will not be very likely in the coming months.

Related Articles

Make sure you check out our latest Memory and Chipset reviews for more information.

Memory Reviews Publication Date
PC133 SDRAM Roundup - April 2000 April 3rd, 2000

 

Chipset Reviews Publication Date
DDR SDRAM on the AMD Athlon - Performance Preview September 14th, 2000
AMD's 760 Chipset: DDR for the Athlon is here October 30th, 2000
ALi MAGiK 1 Chipset: The Athlon gets a second DDR platform November 29th, 2000
VIA KT133A Socket-A Chipset: AMD 760 Performance without DDR SDRAM December 21st, 2000


Socket-370/Slot-1/Socket-423 Motherboards

AnandTech Weekly Motherboard Prices - Intel Socket-370 i815E
Motherboard Model
Price
Change
Vendor
Shipping
Promotion
ASUS CUSL2 $130 $1 Jazz Technology USA Check Vendor UPS Ground
ABIT SE6 $124 $2 Bunta Technology Check Vendor UPS Ground
ABIT SA6R $129 $4 Essential Computer $12.00 2 Day FedEx
Transcend TS-ASL3 $101 $0 Jazz Technology USA Check Vendor UPS Ground
Microstar 815E Pro $100 $0 MicroBarn Check Vendor UPS Ground
AOpen AX3S Pro $123 $0 AxionTech Check Vendor UPS Ground

AnandTech Weekly Motherboard Prices - i815EP Motherboards
Motherboard Model
Price
Change
Vendor
Shipping
Promotion
Epox EP-3SPA3 $97 $0 MWave Check Vendor Ground
ASUS CUSL2-C $109 $0 PCBoost $15.85 UPS Ground
Gigabyte GA-6OXE
$106 $10 Hardware Pro Check Vendor UPS Ground
MSI 815EP PRO-R
$108 $16 PC Progress $14.00 UPS Ground

AnandTech Weekly Motherboard Prices - Intel Socket-370/Slot-1 VIA Apollo Pro 133A Motherboards
Motherboard Model
Price
Change
Vendor
Shipping
Promotion
AOpen AX34 Pro $109 $0 Essential Computer $12.00 2 Day FedEx
AOpen AX64 Pro $95 $0 Essential Computer $12.00 2 Day FedEx
Microstar MS-6309 $78 $16 MicroBarn Check Vendor UPS Ground
Soyo SY-6VCA NA
Soyo SY-7VCA $106 $10 AxionTech Check Vendor UPS Ground
Shuttle AV64 NA
ASUS CUV4X $90 $10 Newegg $10.00 FedEx Saver Shipping
Tyan S1854 Trinity 400 $90 $0 MWave Check Vendor UPS Ground
Dual CPU
Microstar 694D Pro $112 $3 FTI Computer Check Vendor UPS Ground
ASUS CUV4X-D $155 $7 Essential Computer $12.00 2 Day FedEx
ABIT VP6 $145 $3 Essential Computer $12.00 2 Day FedEx

AnandTech Weekly Motherboard Prices - i850 Motherboards
Motherboard Model
Price
Change
Vendor
Shipping
Promotion
Intel D850GB $181 $10 Z-Buy Free Free Freight 3 Days FedEx
ASUS P4T $189 $6 Essential Computer $12.00 2 Day FedEx
Gigabyte GA-8TX $203 $4 MWave Check Vendor Ground
Supermicro P4STA $234 $1 Wired Zone $10.00 UPS Ground Insured
MSI MS-850 Pro $203 $3 MWave Check Vendor UPS Ground Insured

AnandTech Weekly Motherboard Prices - VIA Pro266 Motherboards
Motherboard Model
Price
Change
Vendor
Shipping
Promotion
Shuttle AV32 $131 $0 Bunta Technology Check Vendor UPS Ground
MSI Pro266 Master $122 $4 Jazz Technology USA Check Vendor UPS Ground
Chaintech 6VJD $150 $0 AxionTech Check Vendor UPS Ground
AOpen AX37 Pro $134 $0 Hardware Pro Check Vendor
Gigabyte GA-6RX $175 $10 Newegg $10.00 FedEx Saver Shipping
EPoX EP-3VHA $124 NA Newegg Free FedEx Saver Shipping

i815E motherboards have fallen slightly including our recommended board, the solid and overclockable ASUS CUSL2. The Gigabyte GA-60XE and MSI 815EP Pro-R i815EP motherboards have both come down significantly in price by $10 and $16 respectively. These boards run for approximately the same or cheaper than their i815E cousins making them attractive if you're looking for a new board for a Celeron or PIII system without the onboard video.

Our expectations for Pentium 4 motherboards in the past have leaned towards price drops as more and more of these solutions enter the market and that is the case yet again with all the Pentium 4 boards. In the past few months we have been monitoring Pentium 4 motherboards and from our tests we can recommend the ASUS P4T which offers a sound design, stability, and great features going hand in hand the quality you would expect from ASUS. In addition, the P4T is actually one of the cheaper P4 boards so if you're eyeing this platform consider this board.

Prices with VIA Apollo Pro 133A-based motherboards are in flux this week as prices for some boards have remained the same, or taken a price hike or drop. Interestingly enough, our favored Apollo Pro 133A of the bunch, the ASUS CUV4X, is currently running cheaper than our second-place favorite the Soyo SY-7VCA by $16. Both boards are great options and if you don't want to sacrifice performance for price consider the CUV4X. As with the rest of the Apollo Pro pack, SMP boards are also in flux.

Not much major is happening with VIA Pro266 boards this week. Only two motherboards, the MSI Pro266 Master and the Gigabyte GA-6RX, have changed in price coming down by $4 and $10. Prices have otherwise unchanged.


Related Articles

Make sure you check out our latest i815 Socket-370 Motherboard reviews for more information.

Socket-370/Slot-1 Motherboard Reviews Publication Date
Tyan S1854 Trinity 400 VIA Apollo Pro 133A Slot-1/Socket-370 ATX January 11th, 2000
VIA Apollo Pro 133/133A Motherboard Roundup - February 2000
February 28th, 2000
Shuttle AV64 VIA Apollo Pro 133A March 4th, 2000
ASUS CUSL2 Socket-370 i815E ATX
July 9th, 2000
VIA Apollo Pro 133A with Dual Processors July 13th, 2000
VIA Apollo Pro 133A Motherboard Roundup - July 2000 July 21st, 2000
Intel i815(E) Chipset
June 27th, 2000
Intel i815 / i815E Motherboard Roundup - August 2000
August 3rd, 2000
ABIT SE6 Socket-370 i815E ATX
October 25th, 2000
Transcend TS-ASL3 Socket-370 i815E ATX
October 27th, 2000
ABIT SA6R Socket-370 i815E + RAID ATX November 13th, 2000
EPoX EP-3SPA3 i815EP Socket-370 ATX March 15th, 2001


Socket-A Motherboards

AnandTech Weekly Motherboard Prices - AMD Socket-A VIA KT133 Motherboards
Motherboard Model
Price
Change
Vendor
Shipping
Promotion
ASUS A7V (Non-RAID) $131 $2 Essential Computer $12.00 2 Day FedEx
ABIT KT7-RAID $142 $2 SMK Internet Components $15.25 UPS Ground
ABIT KT7 $123 $4 SMK Internet Components $15.25 UPS Ground
Microstar K7T Pro2A $97 $6 MWave Check Vendor Ground
Microstar K7T Pro2 NA      
Chaintech 7AJA $101 $7 AxionTech Check Vendor UPS Ground
Chaintech CT-7AIA $82 $3 Openlinx $7.00 UPS Flat Rate
EPoX EP-8KTA2 $97 $0 Newegg Free FedEx Saver Shipping
FIC AZ11 $79 $3 Bunta Technology Check Vendor UPS Ground
Gigabyte GA-7ZX $105 $0 Newegg Free FedEx Saver Shipping
AOpen AK73 Pro $126 $6 AxionTech Check Vendor UPS Ground
AOpen AK73-1394 $155 $0 Hardware Pro Check Vendor


AnandTech Weekly Motherboard Prices - Socket-A VIA KT133A Motherboards
Motherboard Model
Price
Change
Vendor
Shipping
Promotion
Epox 8KTA3 $114 $2 Newegg Free FedEx Saver Shipping
Abit KT7A-RAID $141 $4 MicroBarn Check Vendor UPS Ground
Abit KT7A $125 $2 MicroBarn Check Vendor UPS Ground
Iwill KK266 $124 $5 Newegg Free FedEx Saver Shipping
Iwill KK266-R $143 $2 Newegg Free FedEx Saver Shipping
ASUS A7V133 $123 $10 Newegg $10.00 FedEx Saver Shipping
MSI K7T Turbo $112 $2 Newegg $5.00 FedEx Saver Shipping
AOpen AK73 ProA $126 $4 MWave Check Vendor UPS Ground Insured

 

AnandTech Weekly Motherboard Prices - Socket A VIA KM133 Motherboards
Motherboard Model
Price
Change
Vendor
Shipping
Promotion
Microstar KM133M-ProA $94 $4 MicroBarn Check Vendor UPS Ground
ECS K7VMA $85 $4 Micro Pro Check Vendor UPS Ground Insured
Biostar M7VKE $95 $6 FTI Computer Check Vendor UPS Ground
Gigabyte GA-7ZMM $117 $0 Wired Zone $10.00 UPS Ground Insured

AnandTech Weekly Motherboard Prices - Socket-A DDR Motherboards
Motherboard Model
Price
Change
Vendor
Shipping
Promotion
AMD 760
ASUS A7M266 $179 $8 Atacom Check Vendor UPS Ground
Gigabyte GA-7DXC $169 $0 Hardware Pro Check Vendor  
FIC AD11 $130 $45 Hardware Pro Check Vendor  
AOpen MK7A
$156 NA AxionTech Check Vendor UPS Ground
Ali Magik 1
Iwill KA266 $146 $4 Newegg Free FedEx Saver Shipping
Iwill KA266-R $159 $3 Newegg $5.00 FedEx Saver Shipping
ASUS A7A266 $158 $7 Newegg $10.00 FedEx Saver Shipping

 

Almost all Socket A's have fallen in price with the most significant drop being with the FIC AD11 AMD 760 motherboard. KT133 boards show some slight price drops as well as several boards which have not changed at all. Since we were not able to find prices for one of our KT133 recommended boards, the MSI K7T Pro2, we've chosen it's cousin the K7T Pro2A which differs only in that it uses the VT82C686B super south bridge for PCI/ISA integration. Almost all KT133A boards have also fallen in price including our recommended board, the Iwill KK266, which received top honors in our review. Most KM133 motherboards have also come down in price.

The DDR-powered AMD 760 and Ali Magik 1-based boards continue their plunge along with the prices of DDR memory although the drops are not quite as significant. Though we cannot make any recommendations for either AMD 760 or Ali Magik motherboards since the samples we have require more testing, we can say that Ali Magik boards have not been very impressive since our tests show that this platform is not yet mature for several reasons. Number one, this is Ali's first Athlon chipset and second it hasn't been available long enough for motherboard manufacturers to truly optimize for it as they have with the KT133/KT133A chipsets. We'll have more on the Ali Magik 1 boards in an upcoming Socket A roundup.


Related Articles

Make sure you check out our latest Socket-A motherboard and chipset reviews for more information.


Socket-A Motherboard Reviews Publication Date
VIA KX133 Athlon Chipset - Guide
February 7th, 2000
FIC AZ-11 Socket-A KT133 ATX
July 8th, 2000
Gigabyte GA-7ZX Socket-A KT133 ATX
July 15th, 2000
Microstar K7T Pro Socket-A KT133 ATX
July 23rd, 2000
ABIT KT7-RAID Socket-A KT133 ATX
August 12th, 2000
ASUS A7V Socket-A KT133 ATX
August 22nd, 2000
Chaintech CT-7AIV2 Socket-A KT133 microATX
October 5th, 2000
Microstar K7T Pro2 Socket-A KT133 ATX
October 16th, 2000
AMD 760: DDR for the Athlon is here October 30th, 2000
EPoX EP-8KTA2 Socket-A KT133 (686B) ATX
November 14th, 2000
FIC AZ-11E Socket-A KT133 ATX
November 15th , 2000
ALi MAGIK1: The Athlon gets a second DDR platform November 29th, 2000
Socket-A VIA KT133 Motherboard Roundup - November 2000 November 30th, 2000
AOpen AK73 Pro Socket-A KT133 (686B) ATX December 7th, 2000
VIA KT133A Socket-A Chipset: AMD 760 Performance without DDR SDRAM December 21st, 2000
ABIT KT7A-RAID Socket-A KT133A ATX
January 21st, 2001
AOpen AK73-1394 Socket-A KT133 ATX
January 21st, 2001
EPoX EP-8KTA3 Socket-A KT133A ATX January 25th, 2001
MSI K7T Turbo Socket-A KT133A ATX January 30th, 2001
ASUS A7V133 Socket-A KT133A ATX
February 12th, 2001
FIC AD11 Socket-A AMD 760 DDR ATX February 13th, 2001
Iwill KK266 Socket-A KT133A ATX February 22nd, 2001
Gigabyte GA-6RX Apollo Pro266 ATX March 8th, 2001
Gigabyte GA-7ZMM Socket-A KM133 micro-ATX March 11th, 2001
AOpen AK73 ProA KT133A ATX March 12th, 2001

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